Grave of the Five Thousand
by PlainSimpleGarak
Summary: Sixty-five years after the Siege of the North, a lunar eclipse brings on a spiritual catastrophe. With the dead rising and the Northern Water Tribe at stake, Commander Bumi and a young Major Iroh find themselves facing the unforgotten sins of their fathers.
1. Fishing

_A/N: Set several years before the start of Legend of Korra. As such Iroh (a very young officer) is a major rather than a general. This fic was conceived before the previews of Book 2 were released, so while striving to remain canonical, some differences will occur._

_Rated T for violence, light ghostly horror and some language_

_I make no claim to Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra. I did have a good time writing this and hope you enjoy reading it._

xXx

**Grave of the Five-Thousand**

xXx

**Prologue:**

**Fishing**

xXx

Old fisherman Yanel waited for the guards to break from their stony stances and switch positions before he pushed his weather-worn canoe into the sea. Head down, he drifted slowly past the alert waterbenders and into the open waters. Above him the sky was black as onyx; stars glittered lightly through a heavy layer of clouds in the moonless night. In the distance he heard the splash of a fish and the braying of turtle-seals. He stretched out and let his boat glide silently through the vast expanse until the shore was only a thin white line against the dark water.

Embraced by the darkness, Yanel sat up and readied his equipment. He cast his net out, waiting for it to sink into the water. Once it did, he set it and waited, his mind drifting back to the warnings that old lady Kagaye had laid on him: about how La became displeased on nights of the no-moon. He tried not to think about the terrible stories she told of hungry ghosts that rose from the water to devour mortal flesh. So caught up in his memories, he jumped at the call of an ocean gull, rocking his canoe until his feet were soaked. For many long minutes he sat and listened. Every splash and ripple in the water raised the hair on the back of his neck and he found himself staring out into the night, focusing on waves of nothing.

Quelling his fear, Yanel laughed at himself. Superstitions and rumors, he thought, the North Pole was full of them and people listened simply because it's what the elders said to do.

A tug - his net rippled in the water, sending concentric shivers across the choppy surface. The old fisherman leapt into action, grabbing the ends of the net and hauling. There was a jarring waver of resistance, the net threatening to tear out of his hands. He gritted his teeth – either he had caught something larger than he'd expected or he had accidentally snared…

_A shark eel!_ Yanel's breath hissed through his teeth as he immediately grabbed his spear. If he didn't dispatch the eel quickly, it would tear his net to shreds and take the rest of his catch with it. But, if he could manage to kill it, he would have lamp-oil for a week. Stepping on the rope that held the net, Yanel steadied, aimed, and tossed the spear.

His aim was true and the sharpened tip drove home into a large slick gray mass. The eel writhed in its bonds, teeth gnashing at the net, even in its death throes. The fisherman waited for the blood which drained from the eel to turn black, and for its movement to calm to a simpering flop, before he carefully pulled the net back in and retrieving his spear. Very pleased with his catch, he busied himself with untangling the net.

He didn't notice the way the water started to swirl and churn where the blood was spilled, or the hint of pale white light drawn to the carnage.

Instead he kept his head down and concentrated on freeing the shark-eel from the ropes. He even hummed one of the old sea-rhymes his grandfather had taught him as a boy: '_Boats of jade, boats of stone, freeze them all and send them home. Boats of fire, boats of steel, drown them all and curse the seal, boats of air, boats of wood, harbingers of the mighty flood..._'

It was only coincidence that he paused to draw in a breath as something broke the surface of the water. Snapping his head up towards the sound, his mouth fell open in a wordless protest. In the turmoil of the dark sea, a thin haze of light spread out like a rolling storm cloud. From the center of the bubbling water an ephemeral grey hand reached up, gaunt with rot and bearing vicious claws. It grasped at the air, as if climbing into creation and it started to advance upon the canoe.

"Spirits, no…"

As a child, Yanel had been terrified of the dark. Long forgotten, he now felt this same terror begin to seep into his bones. He fumbled for his spear and brought it clumsily to the ready.

Despite the ocean current, the gaunt grey form moved steadily forward. Yanel stood his ground as best he could in the rickety boat, his knees shaking in dissent. With a sharp creak of tearing wood and sap, the claws sunk into the side of the canoe and a horror pulled itself out of the water. Bloated skin stretched against a waterlogged skeleton with bulging dark eyes. It opened its mouth to uncover a fathomless abyss, ringed in layers of razor sharp teeth.

A sharp sting of fear was tight in his throat as the old fisherman lunged forward. The point of his spear sunk into the hungry ghost's chest, and he yanked it back. The thing recoiled, hissing at him and spilling putrid water down its belly. It tumbled towards the water, the claws rending the sides of the vessel causing it to rock precariously. Yanel stumbled, holding on to his spear with white knuckles as he pleaded with La to spare his life and guide his spear.

The boat pitched backwards, flinging Yanel to the bottom as the ghost released the side. Pulling his spear back, the fisherman turned to see two more hungry spirits climbing the boat from behind him, their sharpened gray claws reaching out to pull him towards their ravenous maws.

Pure panic flashed through Yanel's body and his breath choked in his throat. He stabbed blindly with his spear towards the first one, and shoved it backwards out of the canoe. Bitter dread rising in his throat he realized his grip was slipping and his precious spear was sinking with the spectre. Crying out as his hopes started to crumble, he let go and watched his oldest weapon drift under the dark water.

More kept crawling forward and Yanel gathered the shredded remains of his courage. He ripped the hunting knife, which he always carried with him, from his belt. He lunged at his closest attacker, carving a deep line from throat to ribs.

Instead of blood it was water, smelling foul and old, that soaked across his hands. Yanel drew back to strike again, but the spectre was faster. As it tumbled towards him a hand snaked out, long claws digging deep into and through Yanel's leg. Before he realized what happened he smashed the knife into the sick grey wrist, severing it from the arm. But the damage was already done. As the old fisherman tried to pull back the claws stayed pierced through his flesh, pinning him to the bottom of the boat.

Pain flared and Yanel tensed as his vision narrowed to a thin dark tunnel. His agonized scream rent the moonless night and he didn't care if the guards caught him anymore. In fact, he prayed that they would. Desperate, he lashed out blindly, the knife flickering through the air.

Blood now drawn, the ghosts honed in to the smell like a beacon. In seconds Yanel found himself cornered and surrounded. Brave, like a man of the Northern Water Tribe should be he struck out with his knife over and over in a blind fury. He screamed as his arm was torn, he screamed as chest was dragged back and his knife was finally knocked from his bloody grasp. Helplessly pinned to the deck, all he had left were his screams.

And then there was only silence and dark water.

xXx

When his boat washed up on shore two weeks later, the tribe prepared the mourning rites and laid the pieces that remained to rest with the utmost respect.

But while they wondered, no one asked _how_ he had died.


	2. Orders

xXx

**Chapter 1:**

**Orders**

xXx

Private Lind stood quietly at attention in the corner, hands folded in front of him, waiting to record a reply from his commanding officer. From the creeping look of disgust curdling on Colonel Shang's face, Lind was betting his response would not be a pleasant one.

The young scribe only hoped that Shang's temper would not be as dire as his expression. He took in a calculating, paranoid glance at the colonel. Shang was tall and stocky, broad as the walls of Ba Sing Se (where he had been raised). But while he was physically intimidating, both in hand-to-hand combat and earthbending, Shang had not ascended to the rank of Colonel without learning some measure of patience. Lind would be safe, for now.

To distract his mind from the waiting and from the soreness of his muscles (resulting from his motionless stance), Lind let his eyes wander. The Colonel's office was a solid affair of steel-laced-with-stone. Green and cream tapestries decorated the walls, depicting popular scenes from the Earth Kingdom's _Book of Sage Histories_. The room reminded Private Lind of the homes of the new merchants - those who had made a vast amount of money quickly and had tried to spend it on things that looked cultured. The spindly young man gave a slight sigh, feeling a twinge of homesickness. He missed the mercantile travels he used to take with his family, the countless hours of money book balancing, punctuated with breaks of tea and Pai Sho. "If only Father hadn't insisted I join the military…" he thought.

"Where is General Gin?" The question was clipped and it broke Lind from his reverie. Slowly, Lind turned to face the Colonel's piercing green gaze.

"General Gin is onshore." The young scribe stammered, wringing his hands tighter together. "Do you wish me to fetch him for you, sir?"

Shang gave a tight nod. "With all due haste, Private."

"Yes, sir!" Lind turned and raced out.

xXx

Colonel Shang glared across the room at his all-too-placid superior. Not even a rock upside the head seemed to get through to this man, he thought.

"So I have no appeal in this? I must simply accept this order?"

"I would like to know why my transfer of a perfectly competent officer upsets you so, Colonel." General Gin's voice was as smooth as jasmine tea.

Shang put his hands on the desk and stared at Gin with a flat, dark expression. "You know as well as I do that both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation respect the sovereignty of their royal families, even in this day and age. And while a colonel outranks a major, a _prince_ outranks even a general..." He paused, gauging Gin's reaction. "…If he so chooses," he added in an oily tone.

"You imply that Major Iroh would break the chain of command to supersede your orders?" Gin asked, leveling a cool gaze at his officer.

Meeting the gaze, Shang folded his arms across his chest. "I am merely saying that it is not unknown for a noble scion to overstep themselves and rumors of the Major are not always flattering."

"Rumors are simply that. Rumors." The General growled, fixing Shang with a cold stare. "This is a military ship, Colonel, and I expect that you will act on orders and facts. You will leave vague rumors and idle gossip for society ladies and their tea parties. Unless you have a _legitimate_ concern about having Major Iroh on board, this conversation is over and my orders stand as written."

Grimacing, Colonel Shang rose to stand at attention. He strangled his anger in his throat and struggled to keep the disdain on his face from bleeding into his posture as he executed a clipped, formal bow. He took in a breath, placing his hand on the smooth sculpted stone orb sitting at the side of his desk, centering himself for several long seconds before he spoke again.

"So, when is the Major arriving?"

Gin offered a wan smile, just a hint of humor playing through his pale grey eyes. "He's already here. We came on board together..." He let that sink in before adding, "...the Major is waiting outside the door."

Shang's eyes narrowed. Tales of imperial firebenders varied widely regarding the spooky and abnormal skills they were professed to posses - from the ability to steal souls or enthrall hearts, to whispers that they could not be killed by mortal weapons. But, through all of the exaggerations and flights of fancy, most of the tales agreed on one point: they had _excellent_ hearing. Shang set his jaw and planted his feet, clenching the stone orb until his fingers turned white. "Private Lind, send the Major in."

Iroh entered as smoothly as sparks float on an updraft in a summer breeze. Tall and lean, perfectly assembled, he didn't look a day over twenty. He gave General Gin a quick, fond greeting before turning his bright gold eyes towards Shang in a polite expression.

The Colonel stopped his jaw from dropping. Not just a noble, he thought acidly, but a noble _child_ with trumped up rank! He swallowed his bile and managed a thin smile. "Major Iroh. Welcome."

"Thank you, Colonel…" Iroh offered a proper salute of rank and equipped the smallest of smiles, the sort usually reserved for well-trained courtly banter, "… am I to take that to mean I am welcome onboard?"

Gin had set him up and now the Major – the _Prince_ – was confirming he had overheard their entire conversation. Shang felt the anger rise in his gut, and the muscles on the sides of his throat go so taut he had trouble getting his next words out. Gripping the stone orb, he spoke cautiously, "General Gin has assured me you are up to the task."

"I intend to prove such." Polite. Calm. Careful.

"Then, yes, Major. Welcome onboard." Colonel Shang conceded. He could see the beginning of General Gin's smile and it made him deeply angry. Gin may have gotten what he'd wanted, but Shang was not about to let his guard down on an untested noble brat.

"Thank you, Colonel." The firebender's smile was slight, flickering like a barely contained fire just waiting to burn.

xXx

Private Lind was waiting outside the Colonel's office, his hazel eyes searching with a silent question at Major Iroh who was now exiting from his meeting - '_better or worse than you expected, sir?_'

Iroh paused, taking the scribe's expression in stride and waving a hand, indicating for him to stand at ease. "You can show me around the ship, Private?"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

Lind's response was cut from a mold, but his eyes glinted at humor. If he was showing Iroh about the ship, it could only mean that the General had not been swayed by Shang's protestations.

Stepping out onto the bridge Lind and Iroh were greeted by a bright flash of sunshine and a pair of officers with the deep green eyes indicative of a strong earth kingdom heritage. The elder of the two had the faint lingering scent of snow-apples, probably picked on shore leave and shipped to a wife and growing children back home. The younger appeared only a year or two past Iroh's age. Both eyed Iroh and Lind with a reserved curiosity.

"New posting, Major?" The elder queried with a businesslike tone.

Iroh offered a crisp nod, noting the speaker shared his rank and, gauging by his tone, exceeded his authority. "Yes, sir. I'm Major Iroh, I recently transferred from Battalion 6."

"I'm Major Jian, Colonel Shang's executive officer." Both officers shook hands, each quietly sizing up one another and both concluding with a smile of acceptance for the other. Jian straightened and gestured to the younger man beside him. "This is Lieutenant Keran, one of our infantry officers and, incidentally, my _cousin_." Jian added the last bit with a hint of fierce protectiveness.

Keran flinched and smiled all at the same time, offering a salute towards Major Iroh. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Pleased to meet you both." The firebender gave a smile.

"I have been curious to meet my new associate," Jian started, falling into a quiet stroll about the deck with Iroh, Keran and Lind following several paces behind. "Is this your first assignment to the northern sea?"

A short nod, the younger major drew himself up a bit. "The 6th Battalion was posted near Mt. Makapu, which is the farthest north I have been in many years."

"Ah, out of Pohuai." Jian put a hand to his chin in thought. "If you have never fought in the arctic cold, Major, you may want to chat over some preparations with one of the medics."

Iroh resisted the urge to smirk at Jian, his mind recalling the travels across creation he had taken with his family in his youth. His grandfather had insisted he see and understand the spread of creation. But, he had to admit, he had never fought a military campaign there. After a considerable silence, he offered, "Thank you for the advice, Major Jian."

"You could speak with Medic Sakia, she's on deck." Keran offered with an overly-helpful tone. "She spent the last two years running rescue in the South Pole."

Sensing a set up, Iroh gazed keenly at Keran's half-hidden smile. "Someone I should meet?"

"She likes to know who she will be reattaching parts to when the going gets rough." Keran replied. To his credit he kept the majority of his grin in his eyes rather than plastered across his face. With Keran taking lead they, crossed the deck where a petite woman with short dark hair and sea-green eyes was lounging in the sun before they set sail. "Lieutenant Sakia, I was wondering if you have some time to meet our newest major?"

Sakia turned, curiosity burning in her expression as she gave the infantrymen a small nod. She pushed off from the rail and drew herself into a semiformal stance. "Who have we here?"

Iroh offered her a proper nod of greeting, with only a hint of a smile "Major Iroh."

"Oh ho… ", Sakia exclaimed, "Major Wan-Tien's replacement? I was wondering when that pervert was going to get transferred to Si Wong Desert duty." She grinned fearlessly, locking eyes with the young major in front of her. "Not that I'm suggesting _you_ would know of such things."

"No, Lieutenant Sakia, I'm sorry. I would not." Behind him, Keran and Jian chuckled. Iroh gazed between them, picking up the teasing looks and the challenge in the medic's voice, rather relieved that she would be more concerned at who he was replacing rather than the more obvious jab at who his family was.

More than ready to test some limits the medic drew herself up to her full height, eyes sparkling, "do tell me you're not as much of a pervert as he was."

Iroh drew his eyebrows together, feeling on the defensive. "Not knowing the man at all, I'm going to have to simply assure you I would never act in a dishonorable manner towards a lady."

"I'm not a lady, I'm an officer." She sassed back, placing her hands firmly on her hips

The firebender smiled lightly, "I realize that. That also means I outrank you…"

Flustered, the medic started a protest before Lieutenant Keran decided to jump in and diffuse things before the hotheaded waterbender made an ass of herself. "Sakia, you're just angry you lost a bet to Major Wan-Tien." he replied in a voice that might have been accompanied with a wagging finger had they not been in public.

"Lost a bet?" Private Lind broke his silence, hiding his gaping look behind his sheaf of papers.

"Yes, something about Pai Sho and cactus juice if I remember correctly" Keran pushed forward looking rather like a cat-owl playing with a cricket mouse.

"I hear all the best stories start with cactus juice." Iroh prompted lightly, turning curious gold eyes onto Lieutenant Sakia. Her sassy resolve was breaking down as embarrassment flushed into her cheeks.

"I guess they do." She muttered back. "You have any cactus juice stories to share?"

When no one volunteered any tales an uneasy silence ran through the conversation, heightened by Lind's fidgeting. Iroh waved a hand, overlooking her embarrassment as if there was no need to worry about the issue. With a light tone he steered the conversation in a new direction, "Lieutenant, you are a battlefield medic?"

"Combat medic is more like it." Lind murmured, eyeing the slender sword at Sakia's hip and the paired fans tucked just below her shoulder. "I never thought a healer would carry a sword…" His slow look of astonishment cemented Iroh's guess than the young scribe had never seen war – or any warrior from the isle of Kyoshi before.

"It's an unfortunate reality that not everyone on the battlefield can distinguish between a medical uniform and an infantryman, Private Lind," the young woman replied in a curt tone. "And frankly war isn't fair, and some people simply don't care."

The scribe's eyes reflected a look of delayed horror. "People would harm a healer?"

"Some of our enemies consider cutting down a medic to be a quick route to victory, like cutting a hamstring." Iroh's voice was sharp enough to cut through Lind's shock and it earned him a nod of agreement from Major Jian.

Private Lind's eyes remained locked onto the medic. "Even healers?" Had Iroh been listening to his tone rather than his words he would have sworn the young man asked 'even women?'

"Yes, even healers." Iroh gave a sober nod. "To know how to defend one's own – whether fellow soldiers or kin, it is a valuable skill."

"I… I can't imagine." Lind did everything he could to keep his jaw from dropping, imagining the horror of his mother or sisters picking up arms. "If you will excuse me, Sirs, I should file my reports."

Jian nodded to the scribe who scurried off like a mouse from the stirrings of a cat-owl.

Slowly shaking his head, Iroh pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lieutenant, I think he'll be in your sickbay if he ever gets put on combat duty."

"I'm trying to see to it that he never gets to combat duty." Major Jian replied in her place, "He's a scribe."

Iroh frowned slightly, "even as a scribe there is the possibility of combat. Why would he join the military if he could not handle that?"

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't his decision." Sakia waved a hand in the air, "he's here because his father is a rising political figure connected to the Earth King, and this assignment is all about advancing the family's political goals. So, meanwhile, we try to keep the kid from getting killed and stick him somewhere where he can't get into too much trouble." She punctuated the blunt truth with a glittering smile.

His face drew into a wince, as Iroh was reminded that duty to family burned as strongly in the earth kingdom as it did in the fire nation. "That is unfortunate."

Sakia continued, "We seem to get a steady stream of officers with connections, most of which aren't worth the lamp oil used to read their contracts by. I suppose if I were Colonel Shang, I might be a crotchety old rooster-grouse, too." She realized what she had said when she caught the Major's gold eyes gazing at her. Almost through her. "I mean… I meant no offense, Major."

"None taken." He offered a calculated smile that made the medic uneasy and curious all at the same time. "It is an enlightening perspective."

xXx

A small group of ranking officers gathered in Shang's office, spread around a table full of maps. A draftsman's sketch of a large sailing vessel, with a scribble of a symbol to indicate the ship's emblem, completed the pile of paperwork. Major Jian stood beside the Colonel as he drew out the mission.

"We will be rendezvousing with the navy, under Commander Bumi, at the Port of Taku before heading north, towards the Amoge Mountains. The Northern Water Tribe has noted that the pirates operate to the south-east of the capital bay." Shang pointed out the areas on the map in front of him. "We believe they use Amoge Bay as one of their main ports since the area is shielded by the mountains."

"Treacherous sailing?" Jian queried, carefully looking over the sea charts.

Shang traced out a line north from the base of the mountains, "The southern waters are navigable, but the northeast coast becomes increasingly dangerous – with both rock and ice. Our hope is to catch the pirates close to port so we do not have to pursue them northward. Commander Bumi's ship will be invaluable for containment."

Iroh leaned forward, studying the detail of the coast. "If Bumi could drive them northwards from Amoge Bay towards the Ki-Ran inlet they would run aground and we wouldn't have to worry about containment."

Shang studied the young firebender warily. "It would be preferable to catch them at port."

"But timing a port attack would be tricky, Sir. The Major's suggestion is feasible." Jian noted academically. "Perhaps we should keep it as a back up plan?"

Despite the distasteful look creeping across Colonel Shang's face, he gave a slow nod of assent. "I will discuss the matter with Commander Bumi when he joins us."

Oblivious to the subtle powerplay between the officers, Gunnery Sergeant Tan looked up, his brows knitted "how many ships are we talkin' about, and are we sinkin' 'em or bringing 'em in?"

"Only one ship has been confirmed in port, it is unlikely that the pirates will team with any fleet." Shang replied, adding "and they are to be eliminated."

"Right, Sir." Tan gave a grin that showed off several missing teeth, "I'll have my boys ready the weapons."

xXx

The senior staff gathered on the deck of the ship, standing at attention as they neared the naval fleet. A wild-haired man standing on the bridge of his ship welcomed the incoming officers with a shrill whoop. Shang granted him a withering glance and muttered something that included the words 'improper' and 'obscene.'

Beside him Iroh bristled, indulging in a quick glare aimed at the back of the earthbender's head while they waited.

Rather than use the docking bridge, Bumi leapt over the side of his ship and sailed over the gap between the two vessels, landing on the deck of Colonel Shang's _Galestorm_ with a flourish. "Ah, Colonel Shang! You're late!" he started with a wide smile.

"Late?" Shang's deep green eyes burned with irritation - this was precisely the correct day, what was this man barking about?

"Yes, late. You should have come in time for tea." He clucked his tongue at the Colonel, his smile growing into an all out grin.

Shang gritted his teeth, reigning in his slowly-rising temper. "With all due respect Commander Bumi, we have a mission to discuss so we can get underway…"

"Yes, yes mission. I have been fully briefed already." He paused and grinned at the executive officer, "Major Jian, it has been a long time!" Undaunted by the Colonel's growing frown, Bumi started to make his rounds, greeting the various faces he recognized.

"If you have already been briefed, we should start discussing strategy." Shang's neck turned bright pink as he stepped in front of the commander.

"We'll get there, have patience, Colonel." Bumi grinned, pushing past Shang to come before the young firebender. "Well if you don't have a familiar face!"

Iroh had been doing his best to blend in with the other officers and when Bumi called him out he felt his heart skip a beat as a small wave of mortification ran through him. With Shang already on the warpath, he thought, he didn't need any extra attention. He offered a thin smile to downplay the greeting and tried to wave his old family friend into passing him by.

Bumi would have none of it. Throwing an arm around the young major's shoulders, he drew him forward. "Fancy you being here, Iroh! Did you bring me any white jasmine tea?"

The young major shut his eyes for a second, his cheeks turning noticeably pink, trying to think up a diplomatic response. He was almost relieved when Colonel Shang beat him to it.

"I'm not here to talk about white jasmine tea, Commander." Shang ground out, "I'm here to talk about the Le-San pirates."

Bumi wagged a finger on his free hand, still keeping the other around Iroh's shoulders, "What a pity, that in this cultured day and age we can not stop for a minute and enjoy tea, as friends, before going headlong into danger." Bumi fixed all his attention on the earthbender, allowing the young firebender to break free. "One might say it is downright uncivilized."

"Is that an insult, Commander?" Shang's green eyes were hard as jade.

Bumi fanned his fingers into a placating gesture. "Merely an observation. My ship still needs two hours before it can be underway and I'm carrying a load of supplies to be transferred to your ship - I imagine it will take several hours beyond that for all the ships to be out of dock." He paused to make sure Shang was listening, "Seeing as we will be working together on this mission, it is wise to sit down and take some time to get to know one another." He waited long enough for that to sink in before he fixed his grey eyes back on Iroh, "So… white jasmine tea? Did you bring it?"

Iroh knit his brows, looking from Shang's livid expression, the wide eyes of the gathered officers and, finally, to Bumi's expectant smile. He swallowed his embarrassment, as years of courtly practice taught him to do, and replied, simply, "Yes, Bumi. I brought three varieties."

Bumi let out a short whoop and practically dragged Colonel Shang off to his office, leaving Jian smirking and Iroh thanking Agni that, at least, Bumi had not decided to hug him.

xXx

Commander Bumi had been right about one thing: sitting down over tea did ease dispositions all around. At least for the short term. They hashed out an overall mission plan and agreed to dock at the Northern Water Tribe, sending a messenger hawk to the tribal chief on ahead of them. Bumi casually reminded Colonel Shang that approaching the northern coast was treacherous in the evening, and advised all ships to slow down as they neared their destination so they would come into port at daybreak. Surprisingly, Shang had agreed. Both crews left the meeting with an overall feeling of preparedness and set out on the two week journey towards the northern ice.

But over the course of the next two weeks, Colonel Shang became increasingly short tempered and mysterious - diving into secret reports delivered by messenger hawk and snapping orders, at odd times, to the navigator. Iroh was the first to broach the subject to Major Jian, who had passed off those observations as firebender paranoia. But, as they neared the North Pole, Jian grew increasingly suspicious that Colonel Shang was planning to deviate from the planned route.

Standing on the deck, Jian watched Bumi's ship - _Spirit of Omashu -_ slow down and signal to the _Galestorm_ to follow suit. The ship obeyed sluggishly, taking some distance from Bumi's vessel. The earthbender breathed a sigh of relief, quietly rubbing a stone from his home village that he kept tucked away in his pocket for good luck. No reason to worry… yet.

xXx

Jian's fears might have eased, but Iroh's had not. Colonel Shang's furtive behavior had caught his attention and heightened his wariness. It prompted him to be out each evening, walking the deck and keeping an eye on how far they pulled away from Bumi.

It was the second week, on his fourth circuit around the ship - just before the point where the crew started asking if there was a problem - when he noticed that the motion of the ship was different. He felt it pulling slightly to the starboard side, as it turned in the rising moonlight, the water rushing past the stem of the vessel.

Iroh's skin prickled as he fought a feeling of deep unease. He reigned in his first reaction to bark a question at the already busy helmsman, clenching the railing for several long seconds before he pushed off and took a long, purposeful walk towards Navigator Kotalk's station.

When Iroh entered the station, Kotalk snapped to attention, his wary blue eyes fixed upon the firebender.

"Major."

"At ease." Iroh took in a steady breath, planning his question carefully, "have we made a course correction?"

Kotalk's eyes went momentarily wide, a hint of panic running through the older man's face before he replied with the utmost professionalism, "we have adjusted course under the orders of Colonel Shang, Sir."

A flash of anger evidenced itself by merely a hiked brow. Iroh reminded himself that Kotalk was only following orders. "Navigator, what course are we now following?"

The older man's face pinched, his voice reluctant. "We are heading up the coast towards the Amoge Port."

A slow, sick premonition of dread wavered into Iroh's mind, but it was beaten back by a flash of stubborn inner fire. He kept his expression a calculated calm, a skill his mother had insisted he pick up for noble gatherings and other social events. "Has Commander Bumi been informed of this course change?"

"I do not believe so, sir." Kotalk's voice was small; his fears that the Colonel was making an un-advised change to the mission plan were confirmed.

"I will take the matter up with Colonel Shang, carry on Lieutenant."

xXx

Colonel Shang's glare could have cut the wings off a moth-fly at twenty paces. "Get out of my office."

"Is that an order, Sir? Because until it is, I plan on staying right here until I get answers." Iroh's gold eyes were fixed directly on the Colonel, unflinching.

The earthbender's green-eyed gaze was wary; Shang could almost feel the heat rolling off the young officer. Along with his resolve he held a note of fear when facing down angry firebenders. Especially _noble_ angry firebenders. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Why are we changing course and why haven't we informed the rest of the fleet?" the question was sharp, but not as hot as his previous tone of voice.

Shang sat back down, laying his hands on the slate tabletop while he centered himself. "I intend to signal Commander Bumi once we have moved into position. However, I am acting on sensitive intelligence and I firmly believe that having the Commander's fleet behind us will destroy our cover and our chance at a surprise attack."

The Major narrowed his eyes, letting that sink in. "You plan on catching the pirates at the docks?"

"Why not? My contacts assure me that the pirates offload their stolen goods under cover of darkness and all reports indicate that they will be at the Amoge Port tonight." Shang indulged in a smile at his own cleverness.

Iroh was not convinced. "What if they are _not_ at dock?"

Sitting up, Colonel Shang puffed his chest out, patting the ship wall behind him. "That's not a problem either. The _Galestorm_ could outrun a lion-hawk and sink a battlecrusier twice her size if need be."

"Assuming there is only one ship to face, Colonel." The young officer's eyes reflected a hint of paranoia born from a family line that seemed to attract trouble like ostrich-horses attract flies.

"I assure you, I have the possibilities covered… however, that does bring up something I wanted to broach to you, since you're here." He smiled like a cat-owl ready to strike.

Iroh clenched his hands behind his back, nails biting into the skin of the palms, but he kept his voice calm. "Yes, Colonel?"

Shang eyed the firebender, measuring his temper. "I want you below decks."

To his credit Iroh didn't flinch, but his gaze was unusually dark, "to what purpose, Colonel?"

"I believe that your skills would be better served with the gunners." Shang rocked slightly in his chair, carefully watching. He sounded painfully insincere.

Taking a long pause, the major felt fire rise in his chest, and it flickered momentarily in his eyes. Better judgment told him to attack the problem with logic, not flame. "I am not trained as a gunnery officer."

"That does not mean you would not be invaluable for providing the fire the weaponry so badly needs." Shang served up a flattering smile with his tone of deep condescension.

_Honor demands you do not snap the neck of a superior officer. Not yet anyways_. Iroh swallowed down the flare of rage and offered Shang back a small smile... a dangerous smile. "I suppose it would do me well to be out of sight and mind." He waited while the Colonel worked through the implications of that statement.

Shang's expression dropped fractionally. The only thing that worried him more than what Iroh did in front of him was what Iroh did behind his back. He swallowed and put a hand up in a gesture of truce, explaining with a bit more honesty: "I foresee quite a bit of aerial defenses – arrows, projectiles, and the like. In my experience it is much safer to place young officers below decks. For their own good."

"This is a ship, Colonel. If it sinks you drown as easily below deck as you do above deck."

"And yet, I don't intend to see my ship sink." Shang snapped back.

Iroh fixed the older man with a canny gaze, "No you don't, do you? You plan on catching the pirates at dock and boarding them. And, if you get into trouble, signaling Bumi's ships to run containment and interference."

The Colonel paused for a few seconds as the shock of having his plans laid bare before him by this upstart filtered through his body. He finally gave a slow nod of assent. "My men will do better on a solid playing ground, while Bumi is a water-bird. He likes his ships."

"And you still want me below deck when you're running a boarding mission?" the prompt was dangerously calm, but backed on the knowledge that General Gin had specifically sent him as a land-mission specialist… and not a marine.

Shang offered the young firebender a thin smile. "You could always disobey my orders."

"I would not dishonor my name with such actions."

"No need to dishonor, technically a prince outranks a colonel."

Iroh eyed his commanding officer with a steady calm, "I will not be baited into breaking my word to-"

There was a low crack and the whole ship shook from an impact that cut off Iroh's reply. Immediately, his bright gold eyes swiveled towards the deck and he was on his feet and out the door before Shang could order otherwise.

Outside, the sky was on fire. A haze of heat shimmering off the steel deck as another crack came from the dark waters and exploded in a shower of sparks overhead. The dark form of the steel-and-birch pirate vessel loomed in the cloudy grey waters; a flash of vicious red from their bow was the only warning before the next ear-shattering explosion. Behind the menacing shadow, two more ships loomed.

Iroh's breath caught in his throat as he recalled an accident involving blasting jelly, where a promising young solider prematurely ended his career, and nearly his life, with a split second of incautious behavior. No. No time for hesitation. He forced his body into action, taking up the time-honored stance his father and grandfather had shown him. His chi reached out, pulling at the flames hidden within the oncoming rocks and tugging them into complacence.

A cannon ball veered wildly off course, hitting the sea with an angry hiss. A second ball arced overhead, hit with a jet of fire from another soldier; it exploded into a fine rain of stone shrapnel.

Colonel Shang reached out with time-honed reflexes, called the earth and swept it aside, staring at the sky. "What the hell are those?"

"I would guess they are some sort of cement-hardened stone projectiles mixed with a type of blasting jelly." Iroh called back, "Something that starts burning when fired and explodes when the fire draws deep." He readied his stance for another barrage. "Earth and firebenders should be on deck to defend against them, waterbenders at the ready."

Shang's eyes narrowed. Was the little snot giving orders now?

But the young Major was already focused back on the cannon fire. More damning was the fact that his suggestion was solid. Shang growled and started barking for earth and firebenders to the front, waterbenders at ready in the back.

The third barrage of cannon fire was expected, and by the time the fourth was blasted from the pirate vessel, the benders on deck had started to fall into a tight rhythm of pull and drop, cover and clear. Earth and fire working together as harmoniously as blowing glass. After the fifth barrage, there was a pause and a sickening silence that filled the air. Iroh could feel the tension in the soldiers around him as every single one squinted into the darkness, trying to divine what would come next.

There was only a short whistle in the air that gave any warning. Beside him, Iroh saw a dull grey fletching and a bright stain of blood blossom on young Lieutenant Keran's chest.

"Archers!" He yelled across the deck as a hailstorm of arrows rained down. His heart skipped a beat as he lunged for Keran with one hand, the other flicking upwards, a roaring shield of flame springing from his fingertips. Gently, he eased the wounded earthbender to the deck and listened to the man's labored breath.

The tang and crack of arrows hitting stone shields filled the air, mingled with the cries of the wounded. Around Iroh the arrows fell to burning cinders, a rain of bright orange sparks. Another silence, just barely time for crewmen to yell out for the medics, and the crack of cannon fire resumed.

Picking Keran up with one arm, Iroh rooted his feet on the deck and scooped with his forward hand, willing his chi to pick up the fires on the deck. A breath, a pause, he let his breath out and willed the falling sparks forward in a bright orange streak across the black sky, a shot that impacted against the nearest incoming missile.

As it exploded in a firework-burst across the water, Iroh carried the young earthbender to cover and pushed him into the hands of one of the waiting healers. He offered a swift word of encouragement before turning back to the deck.

It was burning.

Heart heavy, he gritted his teeth and felt the heat of desperation creep into his neck and temples. Still, there was no time to hesitate. He ran forward to help fill in the gaps left by the benders who had fallen, pulling the fire-rocks from the sky, dousing whatever flames he could.

The deck roared beneath them as a counter-volley of fire was let loose. The earthbenders stuttered as their ground seemed to fade for a second in the vibrations. In the aft of the ship, signal-fire was being sent to the sky. Shang's pride had melted enough for him to call for Bumi. Another whistle and another barrage of arrows were set loose, countered by a weak response of earthen discs and a round of cannon fire. And then the sound of hail on the deck. Ripping through the deck. No, not hail… small pebbles of metal.

A red-hot fire of pain tore through Iroh's arm and his vision went momentarily white before he dove for the deck, pulling two other soldiers behind Major Jian's makeshift rock shield. "You've seen this before?" he asked the earthbender.

Jian gave a grave nod as the metal poured down on top of them. "Off the cost of the Nan Shan River, a group of brigands stuffed metal beads and balls, cast off from forging, into the muzzle of a cannon. It tears right through wagons, ostrich-horses, komodo-rhinos… good soldiers."

Iroh could smell the tang of blood in the air. Even by the roughest estimates, they were quickly losing the numbers they needed to divert the explosive cannon blasts. "We need to turn around," he concluded.

"Colonel Shang won't like that." Jian cautioned, but his tone did not disagree with the conclusion.

Iroh set his jaw, hinting at an unyielding resolve "I don't care what Shang likes. I do care that the soldiers on this ship live to carry out this mission."

Jian smiled ever so faintly. "Then we better make sure everybody lives long enough for Shang to make up his mind in the right direction."

Iroh gave a nod and bit back the thought of '_He had better make that decision soon or I'll drop him myself._' But Jian had worked with the Colonel for more years than Iroh had been in the military. He would have to trust the earthbender's judgment.

Another flash of orange-red lit up the dark sky, the fiery impact cracking against the deck. The smell of sulphur and coal filled the air. Jian shoved his foot into the deck to solidify the stone shelter with some quick earthbending and then rolled away from the protection.

Feeling heat shimmering all around the stone, Iroh stood and snapped up a wave of fire into a block, enough to keep himself from getting burnt. Then he focused on pulling the flaming shrapnel away from Jian's path. Only once the earthbender had ducked behind a wall did he refocus his attention forward.

Fire was everywhere, blazing from a dozen potholes in the deck and consuming anything it could burn. The once-organized defense teams were shattered; the remaining benders huddled behind makeshift shelters, guiding away what they could muster before taking cover. The wounded were huddled against the stone, pressing rags and scraps of cloth to bleeding wounds.

Worry and fear seized in Major Iroh's chest, but his hands still flew upwards, calling jets of fire to knock away the cannon fire coming towards the shelters. Standing just in front of the wounded huddled on the floor, he fell silent, concentrating only on the fire and beating it back from the deck.

Slowly the cannon fire receded, the shrapnel hitting mostly open sea as the ships pulled apart. The rumble and crack of enemy guns faded to the sound of distant thunder and Galestorm's own cannon finally quieted. Bumi's ship came into view, silhouetted in the moonlight as the pirates melted into the dark artic waters.

As the firing ceased, exhaustion gripped the young major's body and he sank slowly to his knees. The moans of the wounded around him cut through the hazy numb pain in his body and he forced himself to reopen his eyes.

This poorly prepared gamble had come at a cost but it was the crew that had been made to pay with their blood.


	3. Eclipse

xXx

**Chapter 2:**

**Eclipse**

xXx

"What in the name of the spirits were you thinking?" Commander Bumi's feet hadn't stopped moving since the two ships came close enough to one another for him to bridge the gap, and they weren't likely to stop chasing Shang until he had answers, an apology or both.

Stubbornly refusing to look the marine in the eye, Colonel Shang squared his shoulders and continued sweeping rock from the deck with little flicks of his wrist. "I had sensitive scouting information, and I believed it would be best to act upon it without interference."

Bumi grit his teeth audibly. "Interference? Colonel Shang, I am not here to interfere with you, I'm here to back you up."

"And we would not have needed your help if we had caught the pirates at port. But instead we followed your lead and slowed approaching the Northern Water Tribe, which was a costly mistake." Shang retorted hotly.

Bumi gave a strangled groan of anger and without a second thought he seized Shang by the collar and pulled. "You, me, your office. Now."

Cuffs of hot rock from the deck flew up and clamped around Bumi's wrists. The weight, along with the tug of earth from the bender in front of him broke the grip from Shang's uniform. The Colonel's voice was like running a rake over gravel. "You will get your hands off me, Bumi, or I will break them."

Bumi stared back, unruffled. "Fine." He took a step back, his hands out as if to indicate he would not be lunging for the man again. "I have some words for you; Colonel Shang and I can either say them to you in private or verbally berate you in front of your soldiers. Your choice." He turned on his heels, waiting for Shang's decision.

"That's blackmail." Shang ground through his teeth.

"Not so." Commander Bumi paused just long enough to offer one of those maddening smiles that his father was known for, before he explained, "Blackmail is using an unjustified threat to coerce someone into a course of action. However, since you just broke formation and ordered your ship into an ill-advised fight and you are now cleaning up burning wreckage, blood and body parts from your deck… I feel a tongue lashing, while embarrassing, is _entirely_ justified."

The earthbender was twitching, practically seething with anger. Bumi also noticed that he was quite off balance. The trick would be to keep Colonel Shang off balance enough that he could drive some sense into his skull, without pushing him so far that he either stopped listening all together or let his anger explode. Shang muttered something about 'following' and 'office,' and stalked towards the back of the ship. Bumi hooked his thumbs on his belt, rock cuffs and all, and strolled afterwards, surveying the damage to the _Galestorm_ as he went.

xXx

It took three hours to douse all the flames on the deck. In the meantime, the medical team split the wounded up between those who needed immediate care to be handled by the waterbending healers, those who would receive basic first aid and wait for healing and those who should start dousing fires.

Iroh automatically sorted himself into the third group, winding a strip of bandage around his bloodied arm and then avoiding the medical teams like the plague. He had the sneaking suspicion that Major Jian was keeping an eye on him, but Iroh would be damned if he going to show weakness now. The last thing he needed were rumors that included the words '_spoiled prince_.'

Instead he focused on controlling the fires, throwing his concentration into making his movements quick, efficient and productive. Push, pull, douse. Inhale, take the air from the flame, exhale, extinguish. They were some of the very basic firebending techniques he learned as a child, even before the beginning forms. The repetition of the simple movements was comforting enough to block out the chaos of the deck and the pain in his arm.

Set into a cycle of automatic action, Iroh allowed his mind to drift. The beating of the surf against the hull of the Galestorm reminded him of days at the beach on Ember Island spent with his family. The grunting chants of the clean up crews hearkened back to busy carnivals and getting lost in the crowd. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he barely registered Jian's voice.

"Major?" Finally Iroh's eyes snapped free of their foggy fugue and slowly focused on the speaker. "Do you hear me?" Jian wore the exasperated expression of someone who had just repeated the same phrase several times. Iroh tinged faintly red at the realization.

"Yes, Major Jian…" his brows drew close, abashed at his lack of attention.

"I asked if this was the last of the fires?" Jian kept his voice measured as if his temper was on a short leash.

"No, I…" the firebender paused, lifting his head. As he scanned the deck he could see the smoke and taste the ash, but no flickers of fire remained. Drawing in a breath he reached out gently with his chi to sense any flame in the area, coming back with only a dark void. He took a stuttering step backwards, bringing his hands to his temples. "Yes. I believe it is the last."

Instinctively Jian held out a hand, just in case the younger man decided to pitch backwards. He knew firebenders were pale, but were they supposed to be _that _pale? His voice softened, "are you all right?"

"I'm…" Iroh started. Truth be told he hadn't been thinking about it. He had been decidedly avoiding any attention to the creeping exhaustion and nagging ache. Having it forcibly called to mind was a bit like being hit with a battering ram. He found himself leaning on Jian's offered arm.

"That's what I thought." The older officer shook his head, his mouth drawn in a line that fell somewhere in between chastising and amused. "Come on, I need to check on my cousin. You can just lean along for the ride."

The firebender offered a wry smile. "I'll accept."

xXx

Bumi waited until Shang had entered and settled himself before he held up wrists that were still encased in heavy cuffs of stone. "Your rocks. Would you like them back?"

Colonel Shang turned back with a look that could have withered a cactus, and Bumi had to fight the urge not to snicker. With a flick of his wrist the earthbender released the cuffs. Bumi contented himself with kicking the bits of rock under the colonel's rug while the earthbender silently roped in in his temper.

As the room grew calm Commander Bumi offered a diplomatic smile. "Ready to talk now?"

"To you, no. But I don't have a choice, so say your peace." Shang collapsed into his chair with a huff.

Bumi waved off the offer, choosing to pace for a while, bits of stone cuff crunching under his boots. "Colonel Shang, we had a plan; one that took containment and the possibility of multiple ships into account. One that you signed off on. Tell me why you decided to drop that plan and go chasing into port alone and ill-prepared."

Try as he might, the earthbender was struggling to keep the flush from his cheeks. "I had confirmed scouting information that the pirates kept a predictable schedule of docking at Amoge Bay. It would be a month until they returned there, and it's difficult to hide a fleet of ships in the capital. We had the element of surprise with us; we could have snuck in, done a quick land raid and collected the leaders. It should have worked."

"You should have consulted me." Bumi snapped back. "You got stuck in a trap and because nobody else knew what in creation was going on your ship was caught in the line of fire."

When Shang didn't give him any resistance, he took in the Colonel's face. Noting the older man's drawn brows and insecure frown Bumi took a gentler tone. "Look, Colonel… Yes. It should have worked. Maybe from here we look into how to fight the numbers they brought to the table."

"They're pirates!" Shang cried tossing his hands into the air, "why would they work in syndicate?"

Bumi rocked on his heels a bit and this time he did choose to sit. He had to admit that Shang had a point. While pirate fleets were not unheard of, the majority of his experience was against solitary ships. "I'm not sure," he conceded, settling his chin on his fist. "Pirates usually band together for higher stakes theft or because they are fighting a common enemy."

"Common enemy? How did they know we were coming?" Paranoia drained into Shang's eyes.

The sound of the water lapping against the hull filled the air for several long moments as both men thought of the implications. Bumi finally spoke. "The most likely solution is they weren't planning on fighting _us_."

"If it wasn't us, then who?"

Leaning forward, he felt a deep frown draw down his face. "I'm not sure, but it's something we should ask the Northern Water Tribe."

xXx

The sickbay was dark, filled with the sounds of raspy breathing and troubled sleep. A young medic ghosted past the beds, checking on those who had not been sent back to their cabins while several more were sitting in various states of exhaustion preparing medicinal herbs or writing down notes. Iroh clung to the door frame as he entered, feeling the sway of the boat wreak havoc with his already tenuous balance. His eyes focused on a familiar face.

Sakia looked up from a large chart where she was recording the information on her patients "You look terrible." The medic's voice held notes of sarcasm and genuine concern.

Iroh perked a brow and replied automatically, "Thanks. So do you." Upon second thought, that may not have been the best opening for someone from whom he was seeking medical assistance.

But she laughed, a low sound escaping her dry lips as if it desperately needed to get free. "I suppose I do." She stood, offering a hand. "Come on, sit down." Drawing him over to a small work area she gazed over the bloody left arm and crude field bandage, biting her tongue. "I'm guessing Jian sent you?"

"The fires are out; Jian came to check on his cousin." Iroh replied, catching her gaze. His shoulders tensed, waiting for the rebuke.

"Next time see me before the fires are out." The waterbender turned, spooning a mass of dark green herbs that smelled of soil and rotting cabbage into a teacup and covering them with hot water. "It might get you out of drinking this." She thumbed towards the steeping concoction.

His nose wrinkled as the sharp odor wafted over. "I can always hope it tastes better than it smells."

"Sorry, no luck." Sakia brought an oil lamp over as well as a mess of tools thrust into a pot of boiling water.

He watched with a detached fascination, murmuring distractedly, "How is Lieutenant Keran?"

"Stable." She replied frankly. "The bleeding stopped, which is good progress. His lungs took some punishment; it's something another healing session will improve. Right now he's sleeping, which is exactly what he should be doing."

Major Iroh gave a slow nod, "Jian is worrying."

The medic gave an exasperated little huff, "Tell Jian to sleep, even if you have to smack him over the head to do it, and when he wakes up he can see his cousin."

"I heard that." Jian's voice came from the doorway.

"Good. Go to bed." The lieutenant settled her hands on her hips and stared the older earthbender down, adding lightly, "don't make me declare you medically unfit for duty."

Jian shook his head and gave a wry glance towards Iroh. "I'm warning you Major, she doesn't play nice. Get out while you still can."

"I'm working on it." Iroh offered back with a smirk.

"Not yet. Stay put." Sakia wagged a finger towards her patient and cast a glance back towards Jian. His face was drawn, still looking off into the darkness where his cousin lay. She took in a breath and when she spoke again her tone was soft, "I meant what I said when you were eavesdropping, Major. It was bad, but it could have been much worse. He'll be awake tomorrow, I promise."

Jian swallowed dryly and rasped a quiet "thank you."

The medic shot him back a grin. "Don't thank me yet. I'm counting on you to convince him he needs to get heavy bed rest for the next several days."

In the darkness Jian offered a weak smile, but his expression was accepting. He bid them both good night, slipping off while Sakia gathered the last of her tools and shifted her focus to Iroh. She took a breath in through her teeth as she peeled the makeshift bandage off. "Shrapnel hit?" He offered a nod as she drew the lamp closer. "I've never seen a weapon like that before."

"I thought you worked several years of rescue at the poles?"

"I did." She gestured for him to stand and take his coat off, helping peel back the sleeve on the injured arm. "We faced down pirates a few times. Got attacked by spears, arrows, even hails of ice shards. But I never saw anything like this."

He winced as the cloth was drawn off, sitting heavily. "Major Jian said he faced down brigands using something similar by the Nan Shan River."

"Yeah, I heard about that. A group of starving citizens turned outlaws by a psychopathic ex-general and his gang of bullies. I bet Jian still has nightmares." With a quick flick of scissors she pulled the sleeve of the shirt off exposing the torn flesh beneath. "Point being they were desperate. They were all told they were going to be executed as traitors and they started throwing anything and everything they had at the United Forces."

"You're saying the pirates are desperate?" He held his body very still, eyes tracking the medic's movements.

"I'm saying that the weaponry isn't consistent for simply jacking Earth Kingdom trade barges." She gathered the steaming cup, straining out the wad of foul smelling herbs and pressing the dark green water into his hand. "Drink that." He tasted, grimaced. "All of it." She added. Waiting until a satisfactory amount was consumed she went on, "I don't even think it's consistent for a planned attack on us."

He drained the last and set the cup down, feeling a warm numbness creep into his throat. His next words came out foggy, "they did attack us."

"After we nearly plowed our bow into their side. Shang was asking for that one." Sakia gently lifted the injured arm on top of the table and into the light, securing the forearm. Green eyes focused on the young firebender for a few seconds, "stay still or I will tie you down, and that's not an idle threat."

"Noted." He replied blearily. Whatever was in the foul tasting tea was making his head swim.

She picked up the tools that were waiting and settled herself, using her voice as just another diversion for the pain of extraction. "Quite a bit of this crew has fought pirates before; I get the same stories over and over. They're waterbenders, who know the seas like the back of their hand. Why turn around and fight when you can make your enemy chase you, lose him or smash him against some rocks? That saves resources. You use your enemy's strength against him."

Clenching his teeth together, he was determined not to cry out as she pulled a deeply embedded shard away from bloody flesh. As the relief of the foggy numbness seeped back in, he murmured a counter, "what if they were planning on facing us?"

"First off, coming after us and taking the offensive is a fire tactic, not a water tactic. Also, how would they know, unless they have a way of intercepting messenger hawks mid flight or someone is double-crossing the Colonel?" The medic pressed her cool fingers along the edges of the shrapnel wound; water soaking into the flesh, feeling out the last remaining shards of metal. "Neither one is impossible, but both are improbable."

"Then enlighten me, what's more probable?" Iroh's voice had a fuzzy, patient quality to it as his eyes fluttered closed.

She worked swiftly, drawing the last fragments out. "Educated guess? They're already at war with someone else, already have taken heavy losses and are sailing paranoid."

He made an 'hmm' sound, groggily mulling it over in his brain. "So we were in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"Something like that." Cool water washed over the damage, knitting the torn flesh together as the healer fell silent.

As the pain eased Iroh forced his eyes open and back into focus, still mulling the conversation over as a question nagged at him. "The pirates – where do they come from? I mean, if they have waterbenders in their ranks?" he shook his head a little, trying to clear the gathering cobwebs.

"You mean why aren't they connected to the Northern Water Tribe?" He gave her a grateful nod of assent as she filled in the question for him. Sakia leaned back, dropping the healing water into a bowl and reaching for clean bandages. "The capital city isn't the only dwelling in the North Pole. Before the hundred years war there was dozens of small pockets of dwellings, usually built around family lines. A lot of them fell or fled when the attacks started, taking shelter in the capital. But we've had sixty-five years of peace. Those niggling little family feuds and never-forgotten insults probably started to crop up soon after the outside threat was clear. People moved back to where they used to live, and started building again. They're still water tribe, but you have to get tribe mentality. It really is 'me against my brother, me and my brother against my cousin; me, my brother and my cousin against the world.'"

"So you make allies with the people more like you…" he trailed off, casting his mind back to the stories of the invasion. None of them were flattering.

"To go kill people less like you. Yes. Until the outsiders are dealt with and then you go back to killing each other." She smirked a bit, finishing her bandaging and standing up, offering a hand. "Food for thought when we meet them again."

Iroh picked up his coat and gave a small nod. "Not a meeting I am looking forward to."

xXx

Daylight flooded over the ice as the united forces ships sailed into the bay that led to the capital of the Northern Water Tribe. _Galestorm_ was tightly packed between Bumi's escort ships, in much the same way he would have brought in the pirates had they taken any prisoners. Save that _Galestorm_ was limping, her exhausted crew just trying to endure until port and repairs could be made.

Colonel Shang folded his arms across his chest and tried to ignore the growing feeling of being pushed aside. He had earned this commission, part of his mind growled. He had climbed up the ranks on his own merit, sweat and tears. The thought that the United Forces might turn into a mockery of what the Earth Kingdom army had fallen to – with petty lords and noble fools giving orders – it galled him.

"Good morning, Colonel." For all its politeness, that was the last voice Shang wanted to hear this morning.

"I thought you would be sleeping, Major." Shang leveled his gaze on Iroh trying to sound neutral.

Iroh gave a slight shrug. "Firebenders rise with the dawn."

"That may be, but soldiers need rest. I can't use anybody whose senses have been dulled by exhaustion." The Colonel's tone hung somewhere between fatherly and reprimanding.

The major indulged in a knowing smile. "Under all accounts you have not gone to bed yet, Colonel."

"That's Bumi's fault." Shang shot back, his eyes narrowing defensively. "Besides fire may rise with the dawn, but earth endures. It takes more than a little lost sleep to kill me, Major."

"I trust so. Your crew needs you." Iroh's words were soft and earnest, but they still prompted Shang to snap his head around.

His jaw slowly dropped, shock filtering in when he didn't see the expected sarcasm on the young firebender's face, only a gaze of concern. "I take care of myself and my crew," he sputtered.

Major Iroh simply nodded, letting the issue drop. But the words were not lost on Colonel Shang. They stuck in his brain like burrs in the fur of a polar bear dog, both irritating and worrying him.

He was still stuck thinking about it as he met up with Commander Bumi, heading into the capital city.

xXx

The council chamber was posh by tribal standards, spacious enough for a dozen people to sit comfortably and built from stone rather than pure ice. Fire crackled in a fireplace, warming the room to a tolerable level, and still Colonel Shang shivered. Standing beside Commander Bumi he waited for the council to recognize them, taking in the faces that were across from him: seven elderly men and women and one teenage boy. His brow furrowed. "Where is the chief?" he asked under his breath.

Bumi eyed him. "Next time don't skim the reports." He kept his voice lower than the rest of the conversations in the room. "The Northern Water Tribe contacted us when the body of Chief Norruk washed up on the shore. He gathered a party; they went out searching for the pirates and disappeared. Only his body came back."

"So they haven't chosen a new chief yet?" Shang surmised.

A nod. "The boy is Haruko, Norruk's son. He's unproven, but out of respect to his father he's sitting in on this. The others are all tribal elders." Bumi finished quietly as the conversation in the room lulled. Stepping forward he offered a nod of respect to the tribal council. "Greetings, I am Commander Bumi of the United Forces Navy, we arrived this morning to answer your request for help with the Le-San pirates. This is Colonel Shang."

An older man stood, graying hair drawn back into a long braid. His skin was wizened and deeply tanned resting in stark contrast to the white fur lining his hood. "We are pleased to welcome you to the Northern Water Tribe. I am Hanvo, tribal elder." As he spoke the entire council inclined their heads to their guests. "We received a message this morning that one of your ships was attacked and requires aid?"

Colonel Shang cleared his throat. "Yes, my ship engaged the pirates and suffered damage." He left it at that, stepping back with his jaw clenched.

"The attack was unusually vicious" Bumi stepped forward, watching the council keenly. "We wanted to know if the pirates were already engaged in fighting another enemy."

"Another enemy?" Hanvo perked a graying brow. "I would not know. They have never come near the capital city. But they do attack any who venture outside of our protection."

"Such as Chief Norruk." Grey eyes were unusually pained as Bumi watched the council fidget. Young Haruko stared despondently at the floor, his shoulders shaking slightly.

The elder cleared his throat. "Yes, my son-in-law was the last victim, but not the first. Our trade ships and those coming from the Earth Kingdom were attacked. The attacks always happened well outside our waters."

Colonel Shang and Commander Bumi shared a faint moment of surprise before Bumi spoke. "Your son-in-law? I am deeply sorry Elder Hanvo. But any information you have on these pirates could greatly impact the success of this mission to bring them to justice."

Hanvo took in a deep breath and watched the two officers with a look of slowly waning suspicion. "Perhaps if you could tell me more about the way they fought I could give some insights on where they could have come from."

As Shang dissected the weapons tactics with the council of elders, Bumi drifted towards the back of the room where elaborate star charts were mapped out. The bottom of the large display had a calendar filled with unusual symbols and sketches of the moon. He furrowed his brow, dragging his finger along the bottom line. "Am I reading this correctly?"

The rest of the room looked up, staring at him. "Reading what correctly, Commander?" Shang's voice was riddled with irritation.

Rapping the star charts with his knuckle Bumi drew Shang's attention away from his gritty discussion on the cannon shot and to the back of the moon. "Star charts."

"So? This is war with pirates, who cares?"

Bumi drew in a deep breath and calmly turned towards the elders. "This is an accurate chart of the moon's position?"

"Yes," Hanvo nodded. "We started keeping track of the movement of the moon and celestial bodies several decades ago."

"I fail to see why this has anything to do-"

Walking forward, Bumi held up a hand to cut Shang off. He fixed his eyes on the elders. "What does this dark symbol mean, where the moon is blotted out?"

"That is an eclipse." the eldest of the council spoke. The tiny, grizzled old woman was barely visible above the top of the table. "The movement of our world will block out the light of Agni and throw Tui into shadow."

"Is it dangerous?" Bumi rocked on his heels, watching the council.

Only Haruko fidgeted. Bumi noticed that the youth bit his lip while his elders spoke. "No. It is simply a cycle. Some say it renews the power of Yue as she goes from full to darkness and back to full."

Shang narrowed his eyes and cast a glance towards Bumi. He clearly thought the elders were hiding something. "Would the pirates use this to their advantage?"

Hanvo leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table. "From the reports we know they have a number of waterbenders on their ships. However we have ten times that number, and all are better trained. They would not attack us on a full moon."

"Even with an eclipse?" Bumi pressed, watching the group carefully.

The council leaned back, their expressions were closed. "That should not make a difference," Hanvo finished, folding his hands back in his lap. "Colonel, perhaps you should tell me more about this cannon weapon."

xXx

"What is so important about a damn eclipse?" The words left Shang's mouth the second they were out of earshot.

Bumi raised a hand to his mouth in the ages old sign for 'shut up.' He pulled Shang down a back alley heading towards the docks and spoke in low tones. "You remember your history about the Hundred Years war?"

"A little."

"A major raid was made on the Fire Nation on a day of a solar eclipse. Firebenders are connected to the sun. Take away the sun, firebenders lose their bending." Bumi stuck to the facts, keeping his voice clipped.

Shang slowed just a little bit and gave a short whistle. "So take away the moon and waterbenders lose their bending?"

It earned him a nod from the commander. "For a short while, yes. Only a few minutes. However, it could be just the window we need to incapacitate the pirates before too much blood is shed."

The earthbender mulled that over, putting his arms behind his back. "So if we can take down their problem in the window the eclipse gives us, why wouldn't the council tell us that?"

"Would you tell an outsider about one of your weaknesses?" Bumi eyed him sharply.

"Are we outsiders?"

"I don't know." Taking in a breath Bumi mulled it over. "Seems like we might be"

Shang turned towards his ship, his grating voice was pessimistic. "I wonder what other weaknesses they didn't tell us about."

xXx

Two days passed almost before they began. With the flurry of work done on the Galestorm to make sure she was in fit shape for fighting, the crew had no time to dwell upon the plans. When the final checks were made and the cannons loaded, any crew still suffering from grievous injuries were transferred to the capital city. With all that completed, _Galestorm_ pulled out of dock, joined by the _Spirit of Omashu_ and two containment vessels.

Iroh stood at the edge of the deck, watching as the last supplies were loaded on board. His languid posture spoke of an officer who was bored with the never-ending preparations; only his eyes reflected a deeply haunted gaze. He had not slept well the past two nights.

Ever since Bumi laid out the plan for tracking the pirates under the full moon and engaging under the darkness of the eclipse he felt a cold sense of dread settle into his skin. Deep in the night he heard ghostly sounds of a battle sixty five years past, complete with the echoing screams of his countrymen as they were cast to their deaths in the arctic waters. He tried to ignore it, and then pass it off as an overactive imagination. Finally he forced himself cast these fears aside. But in the quiet moments such as this he wondered if the spirits weren't trying to tell him something.

"Four against three ought to make for better odds this time." Jian strolled up to the railing, leaning casually beside Iroh.

The firebender stared out over the cold ocean, absorbed in his thoughts. When he finally spoke it was like a diver coming up for air. "Am I the only one with misgivings about this plan?"

Standing up, shuffling his position to something a bit less relaxed, Jian eyed his companion. "Misgivings? About what? The attack?"

Iroh's brows furrowed. "The eclipse." He gave a thin nod. "But not the bending part. I just…" he trailed off. "I have a bad feeling about these waters and the memories sunk below them."

"Everybody's a bit nervous," the older earthbender started, his voice taking on a fatherly tone, "But Commander Bumi came up with this plan and Colonel Shang backed him up. I don't need to remind you who Bumi's father is. And Shang? He may seem like a blockheaded cow-pig, but he's committed to seeing this ship pull through safely."

Slowly, Iroh lifted his head from its resting place on his palm and drew himself up to full height. "It's not Shang I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think Bumi realizes what happened here sixty five years ago," he started in the same way one would tell a tale of intrigue. "His father was hailed as a hero and I don't deny that, but the ocean was _enraged_ when it lost the moon. I just…" he fumbled a bit with the words adding lamely, "have a bad feeling."

Jian put a hand on Iroh's shoulder, leaving it there for several seconds. "The eclipse only lasts a few minutes. The moon and the ocean have endured for centuries. Let's just focus on doing our jobs and getting out of there." He folded his arms across his chest and resumed his lean. "Besides, Commander Bumi is no Admiral Zhao."

A short snort of dark laughter later, Iroh shook his head. "I should hope not."

xXx

The ships slipped silently through the dark ocean, bathed in Yue's full splendor as she reflected off the water. While the rest of the crew had settled into the tense waiting of pre-battle, Iroh lingered by the edge of the ship gripping the railing until his knuckles turned white.

He had been only a child when he slipped out of his bed one night, awakened by the heated sounds of a debate. Innately curious, Iroh stole out of his room and slipped into an alcove across from the room where his grandfather was arguing with a water tribe woman (the Avatar's daughter, if he remembered correctly). It was then that his grandfather lowered his voice to a raspy whisper and recounted the tale of sailing past the wreckage. Floating past the hundreds…no, thousands… of corpses floating in the arctic waters. They had been frozen in a state of shock and terror, doomed to remain un-burned and un-buried.

A shiver had run up his spine. When he later asked his grandfather about it, the Fire Lord had refused to repeat the tale for a child. Even now, whether by youthful imagination or firebender paranoia, whenever he looked into the dark waters, he couldn't help but imagine the ghostly faces of the dead.

There was a shout, and he snapped back to the job at hand. The crow's nest spotted something and the crew drew into ready positions. Iroh moved with them, instinctually falling into his place on deck as Colonel Shang appeared. "Pirates on the port side, Colonel." The crow's nest called, "running northwards along the coast." The report was punctuated by the gentle sound of a telescope being pulled to length and then collapsing again.

Shang stepped towards the port, his green eyes narrowing into the moonlit seas. "Increase speed. We need to catch them before they get to the rocks."

Iroh could feel the ship lurch as the ordered speed was gained. The cold ocean water hissed against the hull, sending a salt spray onto the deck. In the distance the outline of the pirate ships became visible to the naked eye. The crew held a collective breath as the pirate ships turned their sails. Were they running or turning to fight?

In the darkness a massive wave reached up and crested the edge of the Galestorm's rail, drenching the deck and making the ship roll precariously to the starboard side. The screams of the younger crew punctuated the air as they lost their balance and footing in one fell swoop. Iroh latched his arm around one of the support posts, feeling his legs sweep out from under him. As he was able to dig his heels into the deck and gain back a solid footing, he reached out to grab and pull one of the young officers back from the edge of the deck.

Again the waves rose, the commanding presence of the moon in her fullest splendor gave power to the crashing blows. Above the deck, the crow's nest gave a short scream and a body tumbled down. Just before the telltale crack of bones hitting deck, there was a creaking scream of metal and the railing from the crow's nest unwrapped itself, snagging the lookout in mid flight. As the ship righted itself again, Iroh released his own panicked youth and looked around for the metalbender.

Shock filtered into Major Iroh's face as he watched Colonel Shang gently flick his fingers along the pylon of the ship, and the lookout was gently lowered onto the deck. Once done, Shang turned on his heels and caught the young firebender's gaze. "I told you, I take care of my crew!"

There was no argument offered back. There wasn't time for it. Bumi's ship had pulled up close, cutting the battering waves down. As the rocking of the ship stabilized, the ocean surged. The waterbenders against them forced the waves to rise up into the dark night and crash down upon the Galestorm's deck. The water was pockmarked with hail, chi hardening the small stones into thousands of icy needles.

Iroh rushed forward, a crackling shield of fire sprang from his fingertips turning ice to steam before the sharpened tips could penetrate the defense. He could hear ice hitting the deck and sides of the ship, as well as shield of fire and stone. His eyes rose to the sky, watching the first hint of a black shadow creep across the bloated silver moon. He felt a wave of both relief and fear edge into his mind, his grandfather's whispered tales echoing in his ears.

The ship lurched again as a massive spike of ice appeared less than a hand's breadth away from their bow, knocking Iroh to his knees. He sprang up, inwardly cursing himself for losing his focus as he broke into a sprint across the deck. Lancing out with a whip of fire, he cut the ice as it formed. The next spike crumbled into slush before it could break against the hull.

As a further hail of ice shards crashed down upon the deck, the crew leaned back, feeling Galestorm bank and pick up speed. The pirates were widening the gap between them, fleeing towards the dangerous coastline only they were familiar with. The smell of smoke and the crack of cannon fire filled the air as Bumi's ships let out a warning shot. "We need to breach the gap!" Shang's voice cut through the air of battle and the Galestorm rocked with the ocean as it cut through ice and steam.

Overhead the shadow on the moon grew to a large black dot covering half the surface. The pirates flagged in their escape as the power of their waterbenders was drained away. Sensing impending victory, Colonel Shang stood up on the edge of the railing ordering his crew to prepare for boarding. Shields of rock were already up and at the ready, memories of the incoming shrapnel fire hot on the crew's mind.

All but one. Lingering in the back lines not from fear of the charge or any trepidation of battle, Iroh cast his eyes to the water. Yue's white glow seemed to have sunk deeply beneath the waves, as if the ocean was lit from within. No matter how many times he told himself it was all in his mind, he still swore he could see the shadows of gaunt hands just beneath the surface. He shook his head and they disappeared again, as ghostly as they had appeared.

"Iroh, get your head together!" Jian's voice was curt and brotherly all at the same time, pulling the firebender beside him. "Come on; let's make this quick and as bloodless as we can manage."

The crash of the waves was overpowered by the crash of Galestorm impacting with the hull of the back pirate vessel. In the distance the other two pirate ships slowed and turned. Chains cranked on deck as boarding bridges were lowered and a rush of battle-ready soldiers poured forward.

Pulling the water from the ocean, the waterbenders took the front lines of defense on the pirate ship. A ragtag bunch, they were dressed in a cacophony of matted furs and tribal coats resembling refugees more than hardened buccaneers. While there was still moonlight left the waterbenders pulled the ocean into thick whips, hardening the ends into razor sharp blades that bit at the onrush of soldiers.

Water was fought with fire and battered back with steel. Colonel Shang bashed a hole through the ice with discs of rock, pushing his men forward. The bridges locked in place and the soldiers surged forward, beating the waning waterbenders back to the center of the deck.

At the edges of the pirate ship, crouched into the growing shadows, archers nocked their arrows once again. As Shang led the charge forward onto the deck, the telltale whistle sounded.

Iroh's blood ran cold at the first hint of the sound. Without thinking he solidified his stance, hands upward, a wall of flame bursting out from the deck and running alongside the boarding bridge. Arrows twisted as they hit the flames, the fletching burning off as they skidded harmlessly downwards. He held the wall there; the memory of bloody fletching blossoming in Keran's chest was more than enough to fuel his burning chi.

In the distance cannon fire flared, as Bumi's ships engaged in the two fleeing pirate vessels. Shang barked an order for the earthbenders to concentrate on taking out the archers, pointing teams towards either side. More soldiers surged forward as the shadow slowly overtook the bulk of the moon. Under steel and earth the line of waterbenders crumbled, falling to their knees with cries of agony and surrender.

One pirate dashed forward, giving an unusually high pitched shriek as two earthbenders pushed a younger man to the deck under crushing rocks. As the boy rolled back to the line, blood draining from his mouth the older pirate rushed forward to cradle his head. "You monsters!" her voice was filled with so much agony it gave the soldiers pause.

"Women?" Jian's head snapped forward, clearly voicing the same question all the others had. "What are women doing on deck?"

"Fighting for their children." Iroh said in a low tone, feeling a deep sickness lodge into his chest.

Colonel Shang stepped forward, past the mother weeping over her fallen son and spoke in a commanding tone. "Everyone lay down your weapons and you will not be harmed."

As his words rang out over the darkened sky the tension on the ship was palpable. Iroh could smell sweat and blood; and he could almost taste the fear in the air.

A tall man with graying hair and a thick fur coat stepped forward, casting his spear to the ground in front of him. Following his lead, the archers and spearmen laid their weapons down in kind. Shang was about to indulge in a triumphant smile as the final bits of Yue's light were completely blotted out.

In the distance another round of cannon fire echoes through the darkness, highlighting the engagement between Bumi's ships and the pirates. In the shadows Iroh could see the mast of the larger ship waver, punctuated by the horrific creaking and rending of wood. No one from the Galestorm could see the bodies fall, but they could hear the screams and the morose splashes. Iroh felt his body go tense and a cold shiver ran up his spine.

"Tui and La, we are doomed!" The female pirate cried in a voice that sounded like her heart was breaking. She held her son close to her chest as the young man groaned. The crew of the Galestorm held a breath in confused anticipation.

Under the water between the two groups of ships a harsh white light started to rise to the surface, like a terrible parody of the moonlight. In the sky the moon's corona burned with a blackened splendor. From the water the first hand emerged.

Iroh felt his throat seize up, as if the air had been cruelly stolen from his chest. When he did pull in a ragged breath it stung as if his throat was being embedded with needles of ice. "Spirits, no…" He was the first to move, immediately taking a fighting stance as a second hand emerged. And a third. Like a cascade, the numbers grew exponentially until the whole ocean appeared to be crawling with the gaunt hands swimming to the boats.

"What are those things?" Jian asked, stepping back defensively.

"The hungry dead." The firebender intoned gravely.

The pirates on the deck gasped as a collective, each of them straining to stay where they were, while watching the ocean with a pained familiarity. Colonel Shang stared, slack-jawed. "What in the spirits name are dead doing swimming around the North Pole?" he demanded.

He never got an answer. The first monster burst from the water, clawed hands digging into the sides of the hull as if wood and metal were merely soft clay, opening an abyss of fangs as it searched for something to feed upon. It opened the doorway for dozens more to follow up the side.

On the deck of the ships all hell broke loose.


	4. Truce

xXx

**Chapter 3:**

**Truce**

xXx

In the vast expanse of the windswept ocean, the swells beat mercilessly at the hull of the _Galestorm_. Overhead the bloated corona of the lunar eclipse cast a bleak shadow onto the water as waves of undead clawed their way free of the artic ice. On the deck two majors stood back to back, protecting the soldiers escaping from the boarding bridge before it collapsed from the invasion. The rumble of earth and the flash of fire beat a small circle of safety in the onslaught.

A disc of rock hit a ragged grey monstrosity squarely in the chest with the impact of an explosion at point blank range. The waterlogged creature rolled back several feet and without a sound it stood again, inexorably moving forward.

The color drained from Jian's face and his voice was unusually high pitched. "How do I kill these things?" He pushed another disc of rock at the same spectre with the same effect, having the chilling realization that he would grow tired far quicker than the hungry ghosts.

"They're already dead!" Iroh had come to terms with this, though it left him with an uneasy feeling of dread. Narrowing his eyes and flicking his hands out, he focused a precise blast of bright orange flame right where the creature's heart would be if it still had one.

It rolled to the floor with a wet squelch, the flames dying on impact. Jian ground his teeth together, watching the failed attack and deadpanned, "then how do we kill them a second time?"

"I'm not sure yet." The monster across from them pulled itself up to its knees with a nauseating groan. Before it could get to its feet Iroh pinned it backwards with a whip-line of fire. The firebender's face locked in intense concentration, focusing the flames into the spirit's chest. It writhed; clawed hands ripping at the deck for several long seconds before it finally caught fire and lay down in quiet acceptance as it burned. Sweat poured down Iroh's brow as he panted for breath. "They don't burn easily, either."

The sodden monsters hedged away from their burning companion, still advancing. Blank faces showed neither fear nor concern, surging endlessly towards anything that would sate their all-consuming hunger. Jian pummeled the ghostly line, stone after stone; desperately searching for a weak spot. Earth cracked as it beat them to their knees and smashed them to the deck, but they kept getting up again and again.

The non-bending sword masters were having better luck than he was, steel cutting through the undead flesh with relative ease. As he hit the front most ghost with a disc of rock square in the face he wished – for not the first time – that he was a metalbender. Another disc to the knees dropped the thing long enough to send a few others careening towards the ground, giving him a moment to cast a gaze towards Iroh. Exhausted and green eyes ablaze, his voice was dark. "I bet I know what those shrapnel cannons are for."

"Clever." Iroh replied, hating to admit that if he were in the Le San pirate's place he would probably have turned to the same desperate measures. Sinking his stance down he focused on whips of fire to beat back the advance.

"To the left side, look out!" Jian's elbow dug into Iroh's side, forcing the younger man's head to snap around.

When Iroh turned, all he could see were fangs and claws leaping towards his face. Without conscious thought, he dropped down to one knee and brought his hands up. His vision went blurry as the world around him roared in fire, covering and protecting both benders. He clenched his teeth and commanded the flames hotter until all he could see was a yellow-white corona.

The usually soundless ghost gave a high-pitched shriek that faded to a gentle murmur before the entire thing crumbled to ash upon the deck. The flames died down to leave the firebender on the deck, wide eyed and shaking from the exertion. As his vision returned to normal, his composure snapped back to regimented focus, and before Jian could offer a hand he was on his feet.

"That worked…" the earthbender called over his shoulder, a shield of rock battering back an oncoming claw swipe.

Retaking his fighting stance, Iroh shook his head. "We'd burn ourselves out before we cut through a quarter of them. We need something that is more widespread." He snapped his hand as if he was shaking water off his palm and clenched, a blade of fire forming in his fist.

As a second fiend leapt to latch on to Jian's back, two more were crawling across the deck. Iroh caught the first in midair, swinging the searing fire-blade straight through the dead flesh. He felt a wave of relief wash over him when he realized that the creature was neither knitting its wound nor moving. At his back Jian brought a crumbled mess of small stones together to form a massive rock that pummeled the onslaught back over the rail of the ship. "There's too many of them! We can't keep this up!"

"I think we should start talking to the experts in fighting these things." Iroh's golden gaze was locked on the pirate deck where the fight had spread to all quarters.

"You can't be serious!" Jian's face reflected shock and worry. "They'll stab you in the back!"

Iroh locked his jaw, bringing up a shield of fire to fend off the nearest ghosts. "I have a feeling they might agree to an alliance considering the enemy and the odds."

"You're going to get yourself killed." Jian's brows were drawn, casting Iroh the same paternal expression he used with Keran.

The young firebender shook his head. "If we don't do something we might all get killed. At least we can try to reason with the Le-San, which is something I'm sure we can't do with the dead. I'll take that chance, however slim."

xXx

Bumi leapt out the door and skied down the stair railing connecting the upper and lower deck. He skied in precisely the same way his parents once told him not to slide down the railing in his home on Air Temple Island. With the salty wind in his hair, he felt like he was flying. Sometimes, he thought to himself, it paid to disobey the rules.

Seeing the carnage on the deck, he wasn't so sure this was one of those times.

Building on the extra momentum from his sliding stunt, he jumped over one of the specters, bringing his sword down in the curve between the neck and shoulder, and pressed his body weight into the strike. Shearing the creature through the chest, he skidded back as foul dark water poured from the wounds. It did not rise, and Bumi moved on.

His crew was holding their own, concentrating on pushing the rising waves of water and undead away from the ship. His two containment vessels were pulling away under his orders, signaling they were ready to provide containment fire. Bumi's eyes flickered towards the _Galestorm. _Even in the darkness he could see the raging fight silhouetted against flashes of red orange fire. The damaged pirate ship before him was swaying dangerously, threatening to capsize. As the _Spirit of Omashu_ shifted its focus from the Le San to the hungry dead, the pirate's sister ship swung in closer. From the panicked cries that echoed over the water, Bumi guessed the Le San were evacuating the vessel.

Bumi advanced, pressing between two young lieutenants. His sword flickered, slicing through the water logged flesh of another specter before it could hit the officers from behind. They breathed a relieved thank you, instinctively falling behind their commander. Bumi seemed to radiate safety to the men on the deck; his dark sword was the point of the formation focused on battering back the creatures crawling onto the ship.

Just as his arm raised to pound back the next enemy, Bumi froze, listening to the telltale crack of canon fire hitting the air. Every solider on his ship seemed to stop breathing as a collective, the entire deck of eyes turned towards the pirates. He felt his legs tense, ready to run from an attack that never came.

The damaged ship rocked against the blackened sky like a dead leaf blown from a bare branch. A second later its sails billowed up with a dark red flame and the hull shuddered. Behind it, the second ship fled into the black waters of the coast. White smoke as thick as tar billowed from the burning deck and Bumi's nose caught a familiar sulfuric tang. _Blasting jelly_.

"Take cover, that ship's going to blow!" he shouted to his soldiers on deck while pointing, even pushing them towards shelter. A high-pitched whine filled the cold, making the hair on the back of Bumi's neck stand at attention. He grabbed a limping private around the waist and dragged the kid behind a defensive stone wall as the whine turned into a sickly, piercing whistle. Hunkering down, he pulled the soldiers around him to the deck with him. "Keep your head down!"

The pirate ship ripped itself apart with an angry roar and a furious roll of fire. The sea lit up in a great red flare, shielding the retreat of the second pirate ship. At the water level, the hungry ghosts stopped in their tracks, turning towards the fire as an instinctive mass. They were drawn to the flames, consumed by the wave of white-orange heat. On the deck of the _Spirit of Omashu_, the ghosts relented, falling away from the ship and back towards the wreckage floating on the waves.

Bumi sprang to his feet as the rain of burning debris waned to a sprinkle. His bright eyes scanned his ship, calling orders to the firebenders under his command. He sent them out to scour the ship and burn away the remaining ghosts, paired with swordsmen to cut down any stragglers.

"Will we pursue the pirates?" his navigator asked, squinting through the scattered fires at the fading silhouette of the pirate's sails.

The commander gave a short shake of his head. "No, let them go. At the moment our priority is getting our crew out of this safely." He moved forward, pulling a pair of binoculars from his belt and peering through them.

"But our mission, Sir…"

Noting the discomfort painted over his navigator's face, he added "I don't think that's the last of the evil spirits in this ocean. _Galestorm_ is still overrun, and they're still facing down the third Le San ship. Set course back to them and signal our containment vessels to clear a path back towards the capital's harbor."

"Yes, Sir." The navigator gave an even nod, rushing off to change the course.

xXx

Orders were barked in such panicked tones that the sounds on the deck blurred into gibberish. As the explosion spread flame across the waters in the distance, the crew of the _Galestorm_ scrambled to preserve boarding bridges as a fresh wave of undead hung on to the underside, pulling them off their hooks and towards the dark waters below. Wounded were pulled into cover; as lines of fire were laid down to batter the ghostly advance back.

"Where's Shang?" Iroh spun around; narrowing his eyes as soldiers struggled to pull the last bridge away from the pirate ship.

Pushing a specter overboard with a flying hunk of rock, Jian panted for breath. "Last I saw him; he was still over on the enemy vessel."

With a small window of opportunity in the fight, both majors scanned the deck of the pirate vessel, finally finding Colonel Shang's form gathered close with a small circle of soldiers and fending off an overwhelming onslaught of hungry dead. Behind them, the pirates had broken free and armed themselves, more concerned with the ghosts than the soldiers – for the time being.

"He'll be trapped there if the bridges collapse! I'm heading over there." Iroh yelled, breaking away from Jian. "Cover me!"

Shock poured into the older man. Confidence was one thing, desperate gambles were another. "You can't! Not if the escape route goes down!"

"I can."

Jian took in the harsh golden stare, and clearly heard '_I will_.' He felt his expression tighten. "Even if you can, I can't back you up over there. You'll be cut off." He watched as Iroh's brows drew together, getting the sinking feeling that the young major was not used to accepting help. "One firebender against an army of undead and a ship full of pirates is suicide. I don't care how good you are."

The surprise that registered in Iroh's gaze was quite curious to him. Not quite the arrogant reaction to a slap in the face he had expected, but rather a dawning shock that Jian had even thought to offer. '_Spirits, what sort of upbringing makes this kid plan to do everything alone?_' He brushed the thought aside; there was no time to dwell on that now.

Iroh's mouth twisted slowly downwards. "Shang needs backup, and he needs it now. Once I get over there I'll try to bring the pirate ship close enough to the _Galestorm_ to allow access." He paused and looked up with a faint plea, "If you can, send Lieutenant Sakia. She's a waterbender and knows these people better than I do. And I think we'll need a healer."

"It's a war zone over there." Jian intoned, bringing up another barrage of rocks to batter back the clawed hands trying to climb over the railing.

"And she's a healer that carries a sword. I can't think of anyone better suited to take a team over there."

Jian gave a grim chuckle. "I have been waiting for her to prove she can handle that blade for a year now." The older man gave a curt nod. "But I'll leave the final decision up to her." He pulled a mass of rock together into a makeshift shield and gestured towards the pirate vessel. "You better go before they pull away too far. Get to the other end of the ship and you might be able to swing over."

"Not enough time." Iroh waved the suggestion off and broke away from the battle. He ran forward, leaping up on top of the railing and flinging his body overboard. Jian's jaw dropped, ready to start screaming obscenities and denouncements on how the young major had lost his mind when two orange contrails of fire lit and the kid lifted off, sailing in a graceful arc between the two vessels.

Jian barely got his jaw back in place in time to slam the next onrushing specter back into water, muttering under his breath "dear spirits, have mercy, that kid can fly with firebending!"

xXx

His feet didn't even hit the deck. He landed on a slick wet mass and slid into a clump of undead packed so thickly that they were rending one another trying to get towards fresh flesh. Terrified screams rose in a jarring cadence around him as Iroh took in a breath. He felt all too calm as he watched a circle of rotting faces turn towards him, and released his breath. A roaring billow of bright orange flame rolled out of his mouth and he grabbed it with his chi, wrapping it around his body like a cloak before infusing it with heat until he could no longer bear it. He pushed the flames out from his body; searing the ghosts who were close by and pushing the farthest ones back towards the water.

With a bit of room to breathe, he searched the deck for Colonel Shang, as well as the captain of the pirate vessel. His eyes followed a trail of severed, decayed body parts to where Shang was standing, two lashes of sharpened metal still hacking away at whatever came into range. His face was ghastly pale, drawn back like a stretched mask and his knees were shaking every time he took a step.

Pushing off from the deck, Iroh blazed his trail across the pirate ship with a steady flow of fire. The remaining officers huddled around the colonel were flagging, leaning against one another before their knees buckled. It filled Iroh with a sick sense of urgency as he kept running past the bloodstains and the ghastly gnawed limbs that littered the deck. As the dead made another surge the firebender felt a raw panic flash through his gut. He wasn't going to make it in time.

With a sickeningly wet splash, one of the undead flung itself onto the colonel's back, digging into his flesh with its claws and hanging on. Shang gave a strangled cry, clenching his teeth together as dark blood rolled between his lips.

Iroh felt his breath strain through his teeth in a sharp hiss. He body-checked his nearest assailant, slamming his shoulder forward with an accompanying burst of orange flame, and turned, forcing himself to be calm for a few seconds. The fight faded to a blurry din as his mind focused on separating yin from yang. Time stopped for a second as the chi in his body parted and then slammed back together.

Brilliant blue lightening coursed across the deck, skipping from corpse to corpse, carried by the waterlogged spirits in a glowing spider web. It lit up the deck of the ship, casting eerie shadows against the blood spattered walls and fallen crew. The smell of fetid burning fish filled the air, and Iroh ignored all of it. With a clear path he surged forward, covering his hands in the bright glow of fire before he grabbed the specter from Colonel Shang's back, ripping its head from its body with a burst of flame.

The claws unhooked, and the spectral body slipped to the deck, leaving deep jagged rends across Shang's back. Iroh closed his hands to douse the flames before he rushed forward and caught the colonel's limp body before it hit the deck.

The feeling of warm blood mingled with ice cold water drained across Iroh's hands. He could feel Shang shudder and gasp for breath. "What the hell are you doing here?" he rasped, fighting for consciousness.

"You crew takes care of you, too." The major returned, calmly lowering his commanding officer to the ground as the remaining soldiers circled around them to form a protective barrier. If Shang had a protest he didn't offer it, deciding to lean into the warmth of the firebender's hands to fend off the deathly cold that was creeping through his body.

Around them the pirates were busy mounting their own attack against the specters, retaking their weapons and gathering in defensive formations. The ship rocked in the bloody waves as it fought to move away from the _Galestorm_, veering like a drunken sailor coming back from a night at port.

Working makeshift bandages from torn cloth around Shang's bleeding torso intermingled with the frequent stopping to raise another protective line of fire. The next few minutes were a haze of blood, ice and screams. Iroh almost cried in relief when he made out the silhouettes of Lieutenant Sakia and a small boarding party that was swinging over from the aft of the ship.

"How bad is it?" she asked a minute or so later, kneeling down and wiping blackened seawater from her blade.

Iroh's expression was grim as he pulled his bloodstained hands back from Shang's wilted form. "I tore one of those things from his back after it sunk its claws in." He skirted to the side, allowing her to come front and center as the extra soldiers spread out to assist their exhausted comrades.

She took in a whistling breath, a dagger appearing in her hands to cut away the fabric from Shang's back. "Not good. Not good at all." For a second she looked up, locking eyes with the major. "There's another mass of these ghosts just below the waves. Le San have armed themselves and are manning their ship stations. They're probably preparing to run. And if they do – if I can't get Shang back to the _Galestorm_ sickbay – he certainly won't make it and I don't count our chances as being too good, either."

Taking a step back and drawing himself to his full height, Iroh calculated a path towards the pirate's front lines. "Then I guess somebody had better go talk some sense into them."

Sakia grimaced at the thought, but gave a thin nod. "Whatever you do, don't lie to them. They'll slit your throat in an instant if they think you're trying to double-cross them"

"Noted." He gave her a grim smile, perhaps a tiny bit of reassurance, before he broke away from the tiny sanctuary of soldiers. The pirates had beaten back the majority of the first wave of undead, but the bodies littering the ground spoke of a painfully high price. Even with quick estimates it was clear that the Le San didn't have enough people to fend off a second attack without help.

Still, the tense postures and raised spears told him that this wasn't going to be easy. Even through the haze of battle against the remaining specters, several of the pirates broke away to raise a guard against the lone firebender. "Don't come any closer."

"I'm here to talk truce. Neither one of our ships are getting out of this unless we can work together." Iroh put his hands up, wary of both the pirates and the stirring forms of the undead.

The biggest of the group gave an ugly chuckle. "Us work with you? After you attacked us twice? Don't make me laugh."

"Seeing as we have a common enemy bigger than both of us, truce is hardly a joke." The young firebender waited to see how they would react. From the calcified frowns staring back at him, he was assuming that they weren't buying it. He was just about to press the issue when a startled cry came from the back of the group.

With a wet squelch of water and a bloody cry the pirates fanned out as the last of the on-deck specters made their final push to consume warm flesh. Spears flashed and knives connected with rotten limbs. Iroh felt something wet and slimy grab for his leg. He spun, pushing it backwards with a burst of fire. The ghosts still with enough life to move seemed to be rising up from the pile of bodies in one final burst before the eclipse gave up its hold upon the moon.

Iroh found himself fighting side by side the very pirates who were debating whether or not to dump him overboard. Edging sideways, infinitely wary, Iroh tried his best to keep an eye on both parties. But the mindless husks of rotting flesh and razor sharp teeth had the bulk of his attention. He shifted his stance, calling fire from his hands to push two specters split from neck to shoulder by the spears into a burst of fire. The burly pirate standing beside him dropped his jaw slightly. Suspicion and curiosity dawned in the rough sailor. "Not a joke, eh?"

He faced the man for a second, his words even and sincere. "Not a joke. I came here to talk."

The handle of a spear slammed into the small of his back and Iroh felt the air leave his lungs for a second as the fire about him died. He was about to call a protest when a bone-bladed knife pressed against his throat and killed his words in his chest.

Rough hands grabbed his collar. "Fine. You want to talk, Fire Nation? You talk on our terms." Dragged towards the stern of the ship, Iroh felt the knife shift from the point to the flat of the blade against his neck. Just enough to allow him room to speak. The small entourage slowed down in front of the tall waterbender who was the first to cast his weapon down. The spear handle returned, and with a flare of pain, he felt his knees buckle under an enforced blow. Coming to an awkward kneel before the leader's steely gaze, the knife returned to force his chin upwards, facing the group. "Fire Nation wants to talk," his captor said with grim amusement.

"After they lead us to our death, now they want to talk?" The man's tanned face creased into a dark frown. "How very convenient. Talk fast, Fire Nation. When the dead come again, we're throwing you to them."

He was met with a hard expression, missing the fear he expected to see. Iroh's voice was calm and clear. "I came to speak truce. To see if both ships can fend off these ghosts together."

The pirate captain looked as if he had swallowed a rotten fish. "You attack us and now want to talk peace? What? To capture us at port? What a fine military lie."

The pirates tensed and the firebender felt the knife at his throat press closer, enough to leave a thin pink line under his jaw. "Not a lie. We were caught off guard by the specters. Your fellow ships have left you behind. Working together could ensure the survival of both ships."

"Survival in what? Prison?" the older man scoffed. "You ordered our attack!"

"I did not. We were following orders until our commanding officer fell. Now, as acting commander, I am offering a different solution."

The pirates leaned forward, smelling blood. "Your commanding officer fell, hm? And you offer your throat to us? Stupid decision." His eyes washed over the deck. "Where is your commanding officer now?"

Iroh clenched his jaw, silent as his expression hardened. Unwilling to give away Shang's position and equally determined not to lie, he decided on a stony silence that would have made any earthbender proud. The pirate captain leaned down, judging the young firebender with a canny stare and giving a nod to his crew. Iroh felt the knife shift and slowly press harder against his skin, until a small line of blood was drawn. He gave no response. The knife shifted upwards, the point pressing under his chin until a drop of blood dripped down the blade. Still no response. Finally the captain put up a hand. The knife backed away fractionally. "So, loyal to your commander, even under duress? Interesting. Why did you come here?"

Without moving anything more than his eyes, Iroh stared the captain down in a way that made the man flinch. "We didn't come here on our own. We were called here by _your_ government, the Northern Water Tribe, to investigate the death of Chief Norruk. They were the ones who claimed the Le San pirates were responsible for his death."

The water tribesman's fists clenched and he gave a guttural growl of anger. "We had no part of Chief Norruk's death! That is a filthy lie!"

The firebender did not seem surprised by this is in the least. "That means the United Forces were acting on a false claim. Now that we know the claim is wrong, we cannot follow the previous orders. Our mission has turned from one of capture to one of investigation." He paused, letting that sink in before going on. "It also means the United Forces needs to know what is actually going on before we can offer any aid to anyone. Seeing as the Le San are the only ones able to present evidence against the Northern Water Tribe's statement, it is in our best interest to keep you alive." Before the captain could speak he added, "Seeing the number of families and children you have on board this ship, it is also in your best interest. Working together we might just pull it off."

The grey haired man's jaw dropped a bit, working the offer through his brain. "Release him." The pirates drew back, dropping the young major to the deck. Iroh sucked in a shaky breath and took his feet to meet the captain's eyes once again. The pirate eyed him warily. "What happens when we get to a safe port?"

"Until there are concrete charges against the Le San, you are not prisoners. If you want to leave once we hit open water, so be it. But if you can shed some light on the Northern Water Tribe's accusations, our ship will defend your rights." The fierce gold eyes coupled with the thin line of blood running from his jaw gave the firebender an imperious countenance. The pirate captain visibly shivered as a moment of silence fell between the two men.

"I have injured crew." The pirate finally spoke.

"We have healers." Iroh returned.

The older man mused on this and stared at the firebender, as if he was making a deal with the face stealer himself. "You promise me your healers will tend to my wounded and we'll follow you to dock. You assure me no prisons, I'll take no hostages. If, for a second, it looks like you'll stab us in the back for trusting you, Fire Nation, I'll make sure you are fed to the hungry ghosts piece by piece. Slowly."

"I promise on my honor, and by the laws of the United Forces you will be treated justly, and your wounded will be tended to without retribution." He spoke slowly, clearly.

The pirate captain pulled off his mitten and spat in his hand, offering it to Iroh.

xXx

As the shadow slowly faded from Tui's glow, the waterbenders on the bridge of the pirate ship stood up, casting massive waves against the hulls of both ships. They pulled the hungry ghosts back into the sea, freezing the waves into a protective seal.

On deck, Iroh sent up a flare to Jian and Bumi, sending the message of the temporary alliance before sweeping the deck of the remaining spirits. Coming back to the edge of the ship, he hovered over Shang and the medical team.

"Spiritual wounds are never good news." Sakia intoned, her face drawn downwards. "But if I can keep him breathing through the night we should be in the clear."

"Do what you have to." The Major replied turning his focus back to the Le San as the ship pulled away from the frozen mass of dead.

The Le San ship pulled away, herded northeast by the _Spirit of Omashu_. They sailed silently through the bitter winds, finally pulling into the harbor of the capital city as Agni was threatening to break the horizon.

xXx

Daybreak was a relief, not only for the light that seemed to chase away the horror of the night, but for the reassurance of being in familiar – and safe – waters. Commander Bumi sat in his office, slowly filling out the last of the reports on his desk, patently ignoring his own exhaustion.

The knock on the door was firm and polite. Bumi had been expecting it and dreading it all at the same time. He closed his eyes, calmed his expression and swallowed the last of his tea before he offered an even "come in."

Relief was the first thing that flooded his mind. Reports on the casualties were slow in coming; at the very least the sight of an old family friend alive and well was comforting. The look in his eyes was not.

Bumi was expecting anger and frustration. Maybe even pain or fear resulting from his sudden advancement to acting leadership following Colonel Shang's injury. But the gold eyes gripped him with a deep-seated haunted expression that put a hitch in Bumi's breath.

"Major, you wanted to talk?"

"Why attack on the eclipse?" Iroh's voice was plaintive and soft.

Creases formed at the edges of Bumi's eyes. He tried to keep his voice as professional as possible, but a deep undercurrent of apology snuck in. "Tactically, from the evidence gathered on other battles during eclipses, it was a sound choice. The pirates should have been incapacitated for the eclipse."

"They _were_ incapacitated during the eclipse. Along with every other waterbender in the North Pole." The firebender wavered, smoothing a crease on his uniform coat where Colonel Shang's blood had soaked in. "Too bad the spirits weren't in on the plan."

A hint of anger colored Bumi's neck and his next words, "That's a very unfair blame to heap upon me, Major. I made this choice to save lives, in the hopes that the eclipse incapacitating the Le San would mean we could take them into custody without catastrophic losses. I didn't expect a spiritual uprising." He regretted the phrasing as soon as it left his lips, more so when he watched the young officer snap to attention.

Silence settled between the two men, and Bumi watched as Iroh pulled himself stock-straight, enforcing the walls between them. Walls of both of the firebender's own taciturn personality and the cold professional detachment their ranks offered. Just before the silence became unbearable, he finally turned to Bumi, his gaze so sharp the commander felt naked under its burning attention. "I want to know why the son of Avatar Aang never counted this possibility into his tactical planning. In fact you laughed it off when I first mentioned it to you."

Bumi felt his expression sag, as if his face was being weighed down. "I didn't know. I thought you were being slightly obsessive." He paused, noting the scowl that flickered across the younger man's face, adding "your family does tend towards it." He spoke without malice, with a bluntness that was becoming his trademark.

If that opinion offended the firebender he didn't show it. Perhaps the shock, slowly dawning over his face, had pushed all other thoughts aside. "Didn't know? Where would a fleet of ships go after being defeated by an enraged spirit?"

Bumi gave an honest shrug. While he had studied history, certain things had always been glossed over by both the official records and his parents. So, while he could retell in startling detail how his mother convinced Master Pakku to train her as a combative waterbender, or the noble sacrifice Yue made to revive Tui, his parents had never actually said what happened to the fleet other than '_we won, they went away_.' "I never really asked. We always assumed they turned around and went home."

"They died, Bumi." His voice was dark, his stare unblinking. "I'm not defending what they did; Zhao was a monster and an idiot. I am truly ashamed he acted in the name of the Fire Nation. But nobody turned around and went home. A handful of ships were far enough out of range to escape, but by and large they died. Their ships were torn to pieces, their crews drowned in arctic waters." He paused, his gaze finally breaking. "My grandfather said the ocean was littered with debris and corpses. Corpses as far as the eye could see."

Putting a hand to his temples, Bumi felt a wave of nausea pass through his gut. "The Northern Water Tribe told my father that the bodies were at rest. That they were dealt with."

"Dealt with and properly buried are two very different things, Bumi. Water Tribes bury their dead or give them burial at sea. Fire Nation corpses must be burned."

The older man sighed, apologetically. "My father never knew. He asked, he checked, but he didn't go see what actually happened. He trusted the people in charge – honorable adults. Chief Arnook always put the concerns of his citizens first, and he was an ally of the Avatar. Of course my father trusted him, and it should have been worked out." He paused sounding hollow, "why didn't it work out?"

_Because the Avatar was only a child. Because it was completely acceptable to hate the Fire Nation. Because they deserved it._ Neither one of them spoke the words, but both had heard the excuses and explanations from the world at large too many times to count.

Very slowly, Bumi watched Iroh's shoulders sag. He sounded tired. "I'm not blaming Avatar Aang for anything. I'm saying that somewhere there's been a mistake."

The commander shook his head; his next words were pained and honest. "My father was the bridge between creation and the spirit world. If La remained displeased all these years, yes, he should have fixed it."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Iroh's voice was low and dangerous. "This wasn't the ocean rising up because his lover left him. No, it was more like a door opened. A door that had been locked for a very long time."

"A door?" Bumi blinked, not sure he was following. "I'm not sure how a lunar eclipse could open a spirit door."

Iroh shook his head as if trying to clear mental cobwebs from his brain. "I'm not talking about an opening to the spirit world. I'm saying those ghosts didn't just appear. They've been here all along, but something about the eclipse made the ocean surrender its hold on them."

The older man leaned forward, watching his friend carefully. "You think something bound up the ghosts from the past? Or are you saying La released this to attack us?"

"NO! If La had attacked us, we'd all be dead!" Iroh shouted with such passion that Bumi jumped backwards in his chair, staying still for several seconds. The younger man stepped forward, gripping the front of Bumi's desk, leaning forward to stare at him. "The difference between then and now is that this time we had a fight. It was maybe not a _fair_ fight but at least we had a chance. No, when La attacked none that stood against him had a chance. Ships were broken in half in the blink of an eye and were sunk without warning. No time to act, no time to run. Barely time to scream."

"Ships that were trying to commit genocide, let's not forget!" Bumi barked. He stopped immediately afterwards, realizing it was the worst thing he could have said.

Iroh stepped back, collapsing into the chair across from him as if someone had sucker punched him without warning. "Don't I know?" His voice was plain and painfully accepting. "I know."

Bumi clenched his fists under the desk, not in anger but in shame, as if the biting sting of his nails against his palm might help his absolution, but it only snapped him into focus. "Iroh, I'm not blaming _you_. That happened ages ago."

The voice that hit Bumi's ears was apologetic, bare. "Sixty five years matters very little when genocide is concerned. I doubt the Northern Water Tribe has forgotten. I have no right to sweep the crimes of the past under the rug."

A small spark of anger flared in the older man's chest, flushing out through his cheeks. It bit into his next words, tainting them with an unintentional sharpness. "Crimes your generation did not commit, nor should they be expected to repay!"

"Sozin. Azulon. Ozai." Iroh ticked off on his fingers, refusing to look Bumi in the eye. "According to my calculations, yes, my generation _is _still paying off that debt to creation."

Bumi's face creased into a deep frown. "Iroh, you can't seriously believe you owe penance for something that happened sixty five years ago…?" He gazed at the boy and his blood ran cold. It was clear that Iroh _did_ believe it.

"You want to know what's worse?" Iroh continued on in that same low voice; full of shame and without protest. "Not only do we owe the Northern Water Tribe for the obvious sins, but how many Fire Nation families – families of innocent people who were only doing their duty to feed their children. Who were only a cog in a vast unfathomable machine – how many do we owe? And how do we repay that? Peace? Money? You can't pay off lives. Blood? Sacrifice? I don't know. But the dead haven't forgotten."

"But the living?" there was a plea in the question, an offer of forgiveness.

Iroh's eyes snapped upwards, fixating on Bumi. "The living forgot about the dead. Until now."

Folding his arms across his chest, the commander leaned back to mull this over. "And they decide to wake up just for us?"

"Do you think it's a coincidence that the dead have raised here, now? This isn't the first trip the United Forces have made to the Northern Water Tribe. This isn't the first lunar eclipse, and it won't be the last." He shook his head, rocking on his feet. "I don't know, Bumi. I think there's something more to this that the Northern Water Tribe isn't telling us. But I also wonder…" He trailed off, hesitant to finish.

"It is possible; Shang also felt they weren't being entirely forthcoming." The older man paused and took a step forward. "What do you wonder?"

"It isn't important." He turned faintly, standing and assuming the posture an officer takes when waiting to be dismissed.

Bumi was not to be deterred. He crossed the gap between them and stood before the Major, his brows drawn together. "You wonder what?" he asked in a way that said '_You're not weaseling out of this_.'

Iroh clenched his teeth for a few long moments and finally relented in a low tone, "I wonder what the spirits are trying to say to us? Are they angry that we forgot about the dead, or are they telling us that the Fire Nation deserves what they got? _Still _deserves what they get."

"Nobody deserves to get ripped apart by a hungry ghost." His voice was stark and filled with finality.

"Something is wrong here and I want to make it right. _Have_ to make it right. I owe that to the world." Iroh gave a light shrug of acceptance; his eyes still dark and slowly headed towards the door.

"Iroh, before you go…" Bumi trailed off, trying to pull the kid back.

The firebender's gaze hardened, brushing the hand away. "I never asked for your pity, Bumi."

The crack of an open palm hitting the backside of the young man's shoulder was an impressive sound. It shocked Iroh into full attention, but the strike had little force behind it. Before the firebender could snap to defensive Bumi grabbed his arm and pulled him around. "Get it through your stubborn head that this isn't pity. Advice, concern, whatever you want to call it you listen to me for a minute!"

He paused, letting go of Iroh's arm, his expression settling into a fond, familiar look of worry. Dropping his posture of rank and protocol, for the moment he was not a commanding officer, just an old family friend. "Look, Iroh, be careful out there. I damn well know people have been telling your family to go piss off and die for generations; and quite frankly that's bunk. I'm asking you. Telling you… don't get yourself hurt."

"I wasn't…" The words came a bit too quickly and Iroh lost his train of thought. His brows knitting and he tried again, "I'm not…"

Bumi gripped the young man's shoulders. "I'm serious."

For the first time the young man's face flushed as the usually firm wall of reticence cracked. "Bumi, you don't have to..." his tone was soft, almost pleading.

"Don't have to what?" The commander's voice was lightly chastising, the timbre mentors take when teaching their charges a lesson. Despite not having children, the tone came easily to Bumi. "Don't have to care or don't have to worry about the safety of an old friend? Because if so, you're wrong on all counts."

Iroh opened his mouth to protest and closed it again, brows knitting together. When he finally spoke, his gold eyes turned downwards. "Thanks Bumi, now you sound like my grandfather."

Impulsive as always, Bumi wrapped an arm about the young man's shoulders, patently ignoring the expected flinch. "Good. Because someone needs to say it and since I used to carry you on my shoulders when you were knee high, it might as well be me."

"Don't remind me…" he groaned, flushed with embarrassment.

"Then listen to me. Taking this whole affair on your shoulders alone, as some crazy atonement for the past, is both stupid and suicidal. I would much rather take you out drinking and carousing when this is all said and done than have to go back to your family and explain what happened should you meet misfortune. I'm serious, Iroh. I need you, and I need you safe. Got it?" Bumi placed a finger square into the firebender's chest to emphasize his point.

Iroh sighed in a small protest, but his posture was growing calm. "Got it." He paused and frowned a little. "What's this about drinking and carousing?"

Bumi released him, stepping back to give the major a wide grin. "Come on, when we're done here, we have earned a night of drinking!" His eyes sparkled with humor, adding, "Besides, it's been a lifelong goal of mine to get a Fire Nation prince completely smashed. What can I say?"

After a wordless and unintentionally comical protest, Iroh shook his head. Despite the absurdity of Bumi's enthusiasm for a bacchanalian binge, the simple humor did wonders to ease Iroh's mind.

He couldn't help but smile… just a little.


End file.
